November 6, 2016: A Change of Seasons
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| Grant finishes the front yard |
The changing seasons is one of my favorite things about living in the midwest, with summer-to-fall as my all-time favorite. Each year I delight in putting out my Halloween decorations. Football, hoodies, and bonfires fill our nights. Trading in the petunias for the peonies and mums, while preparing the autumn foliage for frost. An annual rite of passage.
With a 70 degree Sunday, today was a perfect day to do yard work. It was also an excellent time to reflect. Sharing sweat labor with my 16-year-old was frosting on the cake. Physical labor in the great outdoors builds character.
I was also reminded of the changes in the seasons of life.
Fast forward two years and all Lane boys will be out of the house. I must now confess that I have never mowed my own lawn. There have always been plenty of able men around to perform this task. I am now finding myself looking ahead at a life completely different than the one I have known.
I have been slowly adapting to these on-going life changes. My seasons have gone from a traditional family unit to a divorced family. From three boys at home to two, to one. The backyard has transformed slowly from the neighborhood hang-out and nightly whiffle ball game field to commercial-grade trampoline arena, to just a yard.
Each change in my life came and went, one at a time. I savored the moments and looked forward to the years to come. But the end of my boys' childhood years has a ring of permanence to it. One that will come with many more life choices. The family home will be empty with my husband and my life looking very different than it looks today.
I am a sentimental gal. There is no doubt. As I put my cherished Halloween decorations out this year, I couldn't help but wonder how many more years I would be going through this same routine.
The house is growing more and more quiet with my husband spending a lot of time in Denver and Grant finding his way to all those things 16 year-olds love to do that don't include their mother. The quiet is evident to me, like a hard tap on my shoulder. I can't ignore it.
It will be sixteen years next month that we moved into this house. Grant was a crawling baby. So many milestones and seasons in my family's life happened here. But it is just a house. Garrett tells me this and I know he is right. It's the moments and happiness that have happened in and outside the walls that give it a heartbeat that comes alive to me.
Time to enjoy the ride and see what life brings to us. One day at a time, but I will savor every day. Much friendship and family have been shared here and there is much more to come. We will just keep raking the leaves and change up the house from Halloween to Christmas when the time is right. I have decided to hold off on repacking the orange holiday storage crates until the Sunday after Thanksgiving. What's the hurry....
(video of Halloween decor that I am currently enjoying my living room...)
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