Growing People, Growing Things

Growing People is hard work. 

Growing Things can be hard, but not quite as hard as growing people. 

 

We have had 25 years of growing 4 people in our house and under our care. 

Now, suddenly they are all grown up and have had enough confidence to move out into the world all at their own speed, which I would like to point out... to me feels really fast!

It's surreal, awesome, exciting, scary, strange, and wonderful all at the same time. The launches start gradually, similar to how the growing starts. As fast as they came into the world, now just as fast they have all left this nest. Moses and I are only a few weeks into this empty nest, and I gotta say, it feels like only yesterday we started out on this journey with no IDEA what we were doing, or how quickly it would go. 

The days are long, but the years are short. 

 Just like that the season for growing humans is over. In all those years I never really thought too much about how important the task was, because when you have 4 humans to grow, and they spring up so fast, you don't really have time to think about it, you JUST DO IT!

I remember asking my beloved Grandma once, how she managed raising 5 kids all within a year of each other in birthdays, and she said... I just did it! She was a very wise woman. This simple response, but profound at the same time, made me think about how it is true that so much of parenting is just doing, doing, doing. 

We have too much information out there now. Everyone, now a days has a book about how to, or what to, or why to do this or that, and in reality when it comes to parenting you JUST DO IT!

 Like Nikes slogan, you put your parenting boots, or shoes on and you get in there and DO IT, every DAY!

 After a while it gets a whole lot easier and becomes second nature to be doing 5 things at one time. It is common place to be listening to several tiny humans all at the same time, and without even noticing that you're doing it, you have met all of their needs and then some. 

It truly is a phenomenal accomplishment.

If at this stage in the game of parenting I have earned the right to give any parental advice, I would say put down your phone and just do it. 

By that I mean, stop listening to all those people who don't live in your house and under your roof, and start listening to the little humans right in front of you. Don't get me wrong, parenting advice is a very good thing, but remember it's just advice. Ultimately YOU are the only one who has studied this person from the moment they were so graciously given to you. You are the only one who knows what makes them tick. You are the only one who matters when it comes to them feeling loved and accepted for who they are, and what they want to become. 

I would also say, partnering with the eternal parent who created them helps a whole lot! 

Every hair on their head is known by the creator and every dream in their heart is known to the Creator as well. So, getting in sync with that would be the first place to start. 

Growing People is hard work, but growing Souls that go out into the world, and are a light that shines in some very dark places, well that is ultimate reward for all the hard work. 

It's very similar to growing a garden. You plant a seed and you water the dirt that at first doesn't look like it will be anything significant at all, and then with some sun and more water, maybe some special food something starts to grow. 

As any Gardner knows, you can't stop not even for one day, or you won't get the results that you're after. Gardners don't get vacations. Gardners don't get holidays. They know that if they want the reward of something beautiful they have to keep at it. You have to prune, harvest, and be attentive to what you happen to be growing. You have to learn about soil, and watering, sunlight and shade. 

It's a whole thing. 

Planting a seed isn't hard, but growing something beautiful takes diligence. 

We all know, making humans isn't that hard, (that's the fun part some would say), but growing them... that's a whole other ball game. Like in baseball, my dad says, "You Win some, You Lose some, and Some are rained out. You hope for the best and kiss off the rest!" 

That is what your days of parenting will look like. Some days you will hit it out of the park and other days you will want to take your ball and go home, BUT you can't. You can't ever stop at the role of growing and parenting the humans you've been given. 

When the season is over for you and they move out from your 24/7 care and watchful eye, you will be in awe of it all. You will get the reward of knowing that you SHOWED UP every day, without fail. You will (if you have done it right ) have built-in besties now, that will make your heart explode with JOY as you watch them walk into the season you feel like YOU just started 2.5 seconds ago. 

Wonderful, Beautiful, LIFE !!!

Time to Rebuild this Nest

I find myself in a time of personally rebuilding this nest. As I sit here and type this blog out,I'm experiencing the first May in over 20 years that I don't feel the end of the school year rush.It's a weird feeling... kind of like if you've been at a job for over 20 years and find yourself suddenly unemployed. That's the best way I can describe this moment in time for myself.
I have been through countless busy months of May as a full time employee to 4 amazing humans who all have now graduated high school and moved onto the fun-filled world of adulting. As they have all but one moved out, and got themselves very busy full lives, my life does feel somewhat empty now.Hence, the term empty nesters. It's an ugly word ... EMPTY. No one likes to feel empty, no one wants their glass to be empty, it's either half full or half empty, but it's never EMPTY... right ?Well, thank God this girl is a half full kind of gal, because here's where I see a glass half full right now.
The creator of this Nest has got me so good, I mean so so good.I was sitting outside and feeling sorry for myself and my almost empty nest, and right in front of my eyes the Lover of my soul comforted me with a momma bird and a daddy bird building a new nest. The momma bird was busy gathering twigs, grass, and feathers, while the daddy bird (who was so beautiful with a pretty red chest) was up in a tree on protective look out for his momma bird. Creation SPEAKS if you're listening. I found myself with tears rolling down my face and joy in my heart, thanking the Lover of my soul for this gift in nature speaking to my heart in that moment in time.I was filled with overflowing gratitude for my nest, and feeling hopeful that although it might feel empty sometimes now, it never will truly be.
The other thing I thought about was who I partnered with all these 20+ years of building this big nest. My daddy bird is always on the look out for me, I call him the watcher on the wall for this family.I have an amazing husband, truly I love being HIS wife. If I could give any advice to young mommas and daddy's it would be this, make sure to stay connected to your person in the midst of all the busy.Remember when times get really, really tough that you are on the same team and that ultimately the nest that you build together will be one that you can look back on and feel grateful for because you did it together. If you are a momma or daddy bird that lost their team player know that YOU are NOT alone. The creator of your soul the one who gave you those baby birds is right there with you, and will comfort you like no one ever could.
So here I am rebuilding a nest that will look quite different for a while, but that's ok.It's more than ok, because thankfully my daddy bird stayed strong right by my side and together we get to fly into this new world of empty nesters together. 

It's Been A Long Time

Well, I finally figured out how to get back on this blog site, and let me tell you ... I almost gave up trying!Gah..technology these days! It's harder to get back into a old blog site than to hack a bank account.
Not that I've ever tried to do the latter, but you get my point. 

I actually did give up trying to get on here, and started a new blog, shhh... don't tell this old friend, but I was stepping out on the side because this old friend wouldn't let me back in.This place has been a safe place for almost 20 years now though, so I couldn't give up on it. I found my fingers gravitating back here, time and time again until finally TODAY I cracked the code.
                                                      WOOT WOOT!! SHOUT THE PRAISE!
Since the last post published here, I can't even begin to go through all the changes that have taken place as the train of life just kept on chugging. 
Here's what you need to know if you want to know, which if you're reading this you might want to know, so I'm going to tell you bullet point style;
*Solomon graduated during a pandemic*All 4 kids moved into the new tiny house on Molly(plus one extra during the pan-dem)*We planted a garden and you can just call us Farmer Mo and No now.*Then starting with Emma and her plus one the kids started to move out.*Emma moved back to Seattle(during the pan -dem)*We were deemed "essential workers" so we didn't get the year off from the world*We got a "Covid Pup" named him Nigel and just the like the song says, "We only want what's best for him"*Chloe and Solomon moved to Reno*Isaiah my baby graduated, turned 18 last July, and he's really good at it !*Chloe then moved to Seattle*Solomon is moving to Ohio in July*The MoNoSco house is almost an Empty Nest now, and I find myself having ALOT of time to blog
Ok, now that you're caught up let me tell you what I've been thinking about lately.
The world at large is a HOT MESS ! ! (yes, that statement deserves 2 exclamation points)Has it ever not been a HOT MESS?If there was a time when the world at large was NOT a HOT MESS, what time would you say that would have been?
Here's the other thing I've been thinking; its a BEAUTIFUL MESS made up of beautiful, messy, messes. It's called humanity. I refuse to give up trying, or lose hope in my tiny efforts to make it better.When I think about the messes, the ugly, broken, nasty BIG messes, I get overwhelmed so I tend to avoid them.It's not like I don't know they are there, but since I can't clean them all up or even a tiny bit of them, I feel paralyzed to do anything at all... and that is a terrible feeling. So, then I go back to basics in my thought process and my soul.
All I can do is control my little corner of the mess and try to make it better.
That being said, this beloved place will be a place of safety and hope and encouragement ... or at least that is my intention in finding my voice again here, and speaking out, and speaking up, and hopefully cleaning up some of the mess. I especially feel like there needs to be more blogs about working hard, growing things, hopeful outlooks, creating, and enjoying this beautiful life.
IF that's what you want to read with your precious time on the inter webs then come by, and say hello here.It's a safe place with more LOVE and HOPE to come.