It's a Good-Hard

It's a season unlike any other for me. In various ways, many of my birdies are leaving the nest. Times, they are a changin' (cue melodramatic music). This is my season of birthing-new-life-and-dying-death.

With my youngest three going to "real school" this fall, 13+ years of homeschooling have come to a close.

My first-born son graduated from college, got engaged and is about to embark on the mission field with his amazing fiancé to the "hardest darkest" places.

Last week, my one and only daughter left for France to live her life-long dream of living in Europe. Thank God for Skype.

My 18 year-old recently graduated from high school, and this fall will jet off to Tennessee to begin his college career.

My 15 year-old just left for an eight weeks long internship on a farm in Vermont.

Oh, and our family cat of 14 years died. 

All of these things are good things (except for the cat part). But that doesn't make them easy. They're still hard. But they are good-hards. 

Having had more bad-hards than I care to recount, I'll take good-hards any day of the week, including Sundays, over bad-hards. Still, my heart aches. I miss my babies.

I remind myself that this birthing-new-life-and-dying-death season is good. It's not the dying-death-only season. No, that valley I've visited (and by "visited" I mean I was dragged through it, kicking and screaming bloody murder). No, this season... This is a good one. This season gives life. But, dang, it still hurts.

My season of good-hards is here. And being all too aware of the excruciating pain and damage bad-hard seasons bring, I welcome my good-hard season with joy and a little trepidation. 

In a world full of far too many of those yucky bad-hards, I want to embrace and welcome my season of good-hards. 

So, here I go, "Season of good-hards, welcome. Let's eat chocolate, and do this."