In case you are wondering, yes~~I am feeling the full effects of "empty nest syndrome."
During this first three months, however, I have discovered something:
In a house that has, at one time or another, boasted a 5:1 girl vs. boy ratio, our toilet paper consumption has decreased from 15 rolls a month to 3! Now you might laugh at this; but until you have spent years with a houseful of females, you have NO idea!!! (There was actually a point in time when Keith calculated that 3 sheets for #1 and 6 sheets for #2 were plenty per person per bathroom visit, but he couldn't figure how to enforce the new rule! I. Am. Not. Kidding.)
Add to that shampoo and other hair products, razor blades, baby lotion, cosmetics and~~BAM!! We are meeting our budget for the first time in YEARS!
That is only the beginning...car insurance~~I can pay a whole year in one setting!...the grocery bill~~ohmygoodnessgraciousalive!~~we even have leftovers, and fruit and snacks don't disappear in one day! Let's talk gasolin~~We filled up the truck the beginning of September and didn't return to the gas station until the middle of October...the fuel in the van lasts ALL week long!!!
BUT.
Dadgum, it's quiet.
And the space is huge whereve I walk.
And I discovered I don't know how to cook for just two.
And I realize that I actually ENJOY being chauffeured wherever I go and not have to actually drive myself.
And there's no one with me to bribe into pumping gas.
There's no one to braid or updo my hair.
There's no one to look forward to walking through the door every night.
I walk into their rooms, and there is nobody there.
And that unchanging mountain of toilet paper in the bathroom basket...it looks like overkill.
Today, I came across Ecclesiastes 3:
To everything there is a season,
A time for every purpose under heaven:
2 A time to be born,
And a time to die;
A time to plant,
And a time to pluck what is planted;
3 A time to kill,
And a time to heal;
A time to break down,
And a time to build up;
4 A time to weep,
And a time to laugh;
A time to mourn,
And a time to dance;
And a time to die;
A time to plant,
And a time to pluck what is planted;
3 A time to kill,
And a time to heal;
A time to break down,
And a time to build up;
4 A time to weep,
And a time to laugh;
A time to mourn,
And a time to dance;
"A time to mourn...
and a time to dance."
W.O.A.H.
How can mourning and dancing possibly exist in the same sentence?!
Reflection.
Revelation.
A smile. God knows how to bring us back to where we need to be...and in that one small verse, I am reminded~~it's okay to mourn, but it's always followed by dancing.
Maybe I can grab a few yards of toilet paper and use it for a ribbon dance...!!
Thank you Yeshua, for filling my cup to overflowing!
