It's that season! Dropping the heart strings!

Ouch! Who pulled that string? Astonished I should have had been prepared. It has happened enough times over the years of motherhood. But not to this degree with this child. Busyness has a way of blinding you to prepare mentally for what is ahead! So how does it feel to have another one of those invisible attached stings to your heart surprise you as it tugs? Sometimes it’s a pull and other times a severed release of letting go. Like a tooth being pulled in a young child’s mouth. You know its going to happen. The string is tied on.  Anticipation. The grimace expectant face. Bam!  A piece is gone. The string drops to the floor and a small bit of bleeding occurs. 

There is a time for everything, and a season

 for every activity under the heavens.

Looking back at being a new Momma I remember the beginning of the love bond. At nine months a natural cut of that which sustains life of the umbilical cord is severed between mother and child. Upon this cut we are designed by God to love this child and help them grow into independent adults. But we are invisibly connected. a threaded needle lacing the outside of a valentine heart. The unseen love-strings keep looping back and forth between our heart to our loved one. From the moment of each event or special moment, draws a new string of that love link. 

 With varying degree's we feel waves of moments poured into a ocean of our heart, ebbing and flowing as a tide. Theirs and ours. Watching their first smile, first step or even standing on a school stage singing a precious ditty. Your heart overflows with joy. You can feel your hand go to your chest covering up your heart trying to contain it all. Who has not done that hand on the heart motion? Could that also be a motion to stop the overflow of a sentiment? You just want to say, “please stop a moment while I take this in or just slow it down.”  This moment happens faster than our feelings can process!

This is that season!  As school ends for the new season of summer break, hearts are being reconfigured. The accomplishments are marked through celebration. Families are going through seasons of change. But behind the scenes are the moms who have had to allow the taut heart strings to be pulled, and dropped to ease the attachment as their children mature. They have little time to process so they shove it back into their overflowing heart. The letting go of heart strings is not only for the parents, but important to the child. 

The change seems so simple as you begin your journey of raising each other. With the many layer the heart has a way of disguising the depth of the soul attachments.There comes that one memorable moment in time when it hits. I visualize it as the moment God opens the door to their destiny and they walk through it. Each with a different gait. Either prodded, pushed, or willingly looking for the new adventure.

It all makes you hurt and makes you smile at the same time! 

Years ago I read a timely book by Carol Kuykendall that was called “Give them Wings.” Carol talks about being a family in flux on a journey to transition. When my oldest graduated from High School back in 1998, I had worked through this book many months prior and thought, “Boy that helped! That was not so bad!”  Several years later I graduated two more. As the kids filtered down I thought I had it handled.

He heals the brokenhearted, binding up their wounds PS 147:3

As my fifth and last child graduated. I knew I could put off the final heart string release for that child's chapter until the coming fall departure. But sometimes things can just twist and you have to face it one way or another.

The day after graduation we put our fourth child, a daughter on a plane to study abroad. The big tug started to tumble down into the wide open meadow of my heart! 

Her preparation was so busy it kept us both unprepared for the journey. Blessed to have my oldest who is a counselor give me the signals! “How are you doing?” she would ask. I knew she was watching me. I was postponing all forms of emotions, thinking this is not the time for heavy processing!  My head was full of details from my sons graduation and summer plans. As my daughter melted at good-bye in the concourse, I sucked it up and did the, stuff the emotions and bag it routine. Then my husband did his version of the “quick eye drip and be done” method.  We all processed this differently. We survived the small eruption, knowing the up coming volcano will be heating up soon enough.

With life there are many sunrises, as God prepares you for the sunsets. Moms do you know the family you see in your photo right now, will forever be changing? Some departing, some added in. In the season of downsizing, empty nesting, I can’t allow this baggage to sit. I will turn my face to the new season much like my husband the coach does. I will look for the things of hopeful anticipation, hold on to a grandchild or two and plan for the future. I know it will be great as God has promised! 

Some seasons are more painful than glorious, but the glorious will emerge. All are necessary to grow..

As the summer heat intensifies and then wanes... the fall moon will then approach with it's harvest setting. When you see the leaves are falling you might want to text your friend and see how see how they are faring loosening those many heart strings!