The Only Thing That Stays The Same

The only thing that stays the same is that change is constant.  I’m always amazed when I stop to look at my boys and see how much they’ve changed in such short periods of time. Each day brings new struggles, new growth, and new opportunities. 

Sometimes these little changes bring such joy to my life. When I suddenly realize that after almost 6 months of hard work John can finally crab walk or when Nathan figures out that he can call “mommy” from his crib rather than cry.  Such joyous occasions!  And my heart leapt when John’s teacher emailed me to tell me that John identified 24/26 capital letters at the ripe age of 39 months old. 

I’m watching my boys grow leaps and bounds right now.  And frankly, there is no denying that at the current moment they are growing wider (kids seem to grow tall then wide the tall again and wide again).  John and Nathan seem to have round chubby faces right now and little milk bellies hanging over their waistbands.  And talking about growth – Nathan officially transitioned to a toddler bed this week.  No more crib rail protecting him from falling on the floor (which he did twice the first night).

But sometimes these changes bring with them new struggles.  Struggles that are little and struggles that are big.  Finding pants that will fit over Nathan’s chunky thighs, but also don’t hang 3 inches past his heels is a challenge right now.  Encouraging the boys to play together while not pushing, shoving, hitting, or stealing toys from each other is a definite struggle at the moment.  For that matter, convincing each boy to sleep in their respective beds is difficult (Nathan wants to sleep in John’s bed and John in Nathan’s – until about 2:30 in the morning when someone wakes up and insists on evicting their brother from “his” bed).

Nonetheless, the challenges are good.  I continue to grow as a mother and person through these little tribulations.  Certainly it’s clear that God has a plan for us even when we’re unsure of the course that is charted.  Opportunities for Grace abound.  Although I’m not always great at seeing these opportunities as they present themselves, I can reflect at the end of the day knowing that they were there (and at least on occasion, I embraced that opportunity)..