Beautiful Blinks

The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;  his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23

It seems that lately I have found myself in the middle of the same conversation about a dozen times.  The conversations happen at functions where my peers and I see our children are walking through the door as grown-ups.  I’m seeing the kids that played in my basement and ran through the sprinkler in my front yard and sat in the seats in my classroom getting married, having children and talking about their careers.  I’ve been bumping into these grown up young people that are talking about their jobs and their lives.  I talked with one young man who fixes cars and it seems like he just learned how to drive last week …and then there was the boy I watched learn to read who was talking to me about the reading scores of his own students and there was the boy who teased girls with a fury that I watched say I do and promised to spend his whole life loving a beautiful girl; something he swore in elementary school would certainly NEVER happen to him. As the moms and dads gather to visit, we always say the same thing; “how did that happen…I guess I blinked.”

Last weekend our school celebrated it’s annual Dinner Raffle which is a huge, amazing event that since it’s inception twenty years ago has raised over one million dollars for our school.  I had the privilege and the honor of being a part of those first five years and to see how much has been accomplished over the years was pretty awesome.  As I looked up at that 20th Anniversary banner I realized that when it started my college senior was  a toddler and her oldest brother was in kindergarten.  Again I said, “how did that happen…I guess I blinked.”  It’s funny that those words ring with a little twinge of sadness.  I miss the 3 little Wohlferts and their friends jumping on the couch cushions and playing baseball in the basement thinking I didn’t know.  I miss squealing girls and dance parties and the smell of nail polish wafting up the basement stairs.  I miss feeling like Old Mother Hubbard after the friends went home and mostly I miss walking into my house and seeing a big ole heap of shoes that belonged on the feet of the kids gathered in the basement.

Last night at a wonderful wedding, I watched a big group of young grown-ups from all 3 little Wohlferts  classes and I realized I’d been looking at it all wrong.  Every time I stopped to chat with one of them I felt really old!  I felt like I lost something and wanted it back.  I felt like I wanted to re-play it all to make sure I hadn’t missed something.  As a mom, I sometimes look back on my “less than stellar” mom moment and want those back for a re-do.  Those words kept coming into my  mind, “I must have blinked!”  I realized as I was watching them dance and laugh and enjoy themselves in their fancy clothes, that the blinks weren’t really about me.  I keep thinking about my age and how I would like to go back in time and how much I miss those great mom moments but when I took myself out of the equation, I realized those blinks were full of beautiful things.

During the blinks all those kids I loved grew into young adults I love.  All the playing and laughing and shenanigans forged great friendships, loyalty and a boatload of stories and memories.  During those blinks they all matured and found their path.  During those blinks they became independent, dedicated and driven.  During those blinks I realized they have all become exactly what we wanted them to…great humans!  Last night I saw dresses, heels, ties and tuxes but when I blinked I saw those school uniform solid color polos and superman t-shirts and little league jerseys and it made me smile.  When I opened my eyes again and saw the grown-up version of all those little people, I realized that I hadn’t missed a thing; I had been there every moment of the journey and I stopped to realize all the amazing things that unfolded right before my eyes. I blinked again and I could still go back to blanket forts, sword fights with wrapping paper tubes, 4-H fairs and the prom. I realized I’d always have the blinks but the great opportunity to talk to a young adult and realize they had become exactly what they wrote about becoming in the 4th grade was worth the wrinkles and gray hairs that are a part of my look. 

If we don’t blink nothing happens.  If we don’t blink we’ll all be stuck.  As I sat in mass this morning I saw one of my very favorite students who lost her mama when she was just a second grader.  She has always had a special place in my heart and I realized how beautiful and necessary the blinks really are as I watched her snuggle and sway gently with her gorgeous baby girl in her arms. I blinked and she grew into a beautiful wife and mother and I could almost feel the joy and the happiness come from that little families end of the pew.  God flooded my heart with joy and my eyes with tears and reminded me that the blinks are beautiful and with each one; with each stage that passes, we get another chance to see the great things he does in our lives.  I made sure to say a prayer for all the beautiful blinks and the blessings that followed.

A Seed To Plant:  Time isn’t meant to stand still…God is constantly working, so instead of feeling things have passed you by, look at what he’s done and hope for the beautiful things to come.​

Blessings on your day!