Saturday, September 30, 2017

September Tenacity

September is winding down, and a part of me wants to say good riddance, while the other part wants to say thank you. So, yeah, thank you very much, September! Glad to see you go.

We sat around the table a couple nights ago and thanked the Lord despite a terrible day for most of us. We even laughed, thankful that time does keep moving on and bad days do come to an end! And you know what? Some of the very best things in life are born out of difficulty. Temporal things quickly diminish in consequence, and trials produce grit and Christ-likeness when properly received. We are drawn to the Lord in dependence and faith, and wait for the day when difficulty is transformed into testimony of God's faithful, merciful, loving work.

Oh, but what a long month it was! Still, SO much good can be recounted! My mind flashes back to so many good things... successes, wins, progress, celebrations, growth... all sorts of wonderful moments. They are there, and I'm thankful I can look back and remember.

Today I am sitting alone in a coffee shop, unexpectedly taking some time out. It's such a contrast to the non-stop, break-neck pace of this last month. I don't really do alone time in a coffee shop really well but I think it's good for me, albeit awkward. My life has been oriented to others for so long that being seated alone at a table in a public place seems out of my element right now! That's OK. Some might think it sad that I've given so much of myself to the service of others (and I might have thought the same at one time), but I've grown to love it. I've discovered life became fuller, richer, more meaningful when I committed to living for more than myself.

This is turning into a rambling sort of post. Let me just end with a happy event from yesterday...

This little beauty passed her driver's exam in her dad's Ford F-150! She did amazing despite worries about parking a huge vehicle in a tight DMV spot, and concerns about all the possible ways the examiner could declare an "automatic fail!"


This girl is a contrast of tenderness and grit! The process of learning to drive, I think, has been a good one. She persevered despite admitting that driving wasn't turning out to be her favorite thing. Driving and parking our big vehicles in southern California wasn't coming easy for her. This girl is multi-talented, and difficulty in learning a new skill was new to her! Jon and I sought to find the fine line between easing the pressure, and gently pushing her to confidently persevere. And she did. In a huge truck, no less!


I want all my kids to learn that they can do hard things. 'Hard things' will be different for each person, but tenacity in meeting challenges/trial in life is way more valuable than learning to drive. Well done, Olivia!


~Katherine

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