There are lots of things that are hard about August for me.
The heat. The realization that summer is almost over and my bucket list hasn't even been touched. The knowledge that we are getting ready to return to a more hectic pace of life.
And the memories.
The heat. The realization that summer is almost over and my bucket list hasn't even been touched. The knowledge that we are getting ready to return to a more hectic pace of life.
And the memories.
The first week of August would have been Naomi's due date. She would have been seven years old this year.
The third week of August is when we found out we were expecting Hope, only to have her fly to Heaven less than a week later. She would have been a year old this past June.
The last week of August would have been the due date of our Christmas baby, our last pregnancy unless God has another surprise in store for us. That baby would have been a year old in two weeks.
School starting up only intensifies some of these memories, as we plan our homeschool days to accommodate two children instead of three or more. It is easy to let myself drift into the world of what would have been or could have been instead of what is.
The third week of August is when we found out we were expecting Hope, only to have her fly to Heaven less than a week later. She would have been a year old this past June.
The last week of August would have been the due date of our Christmas baby, our last pregnancy unless God has another surprise in store for us. That baby would have been a year old in two weeks.
School starting up only intensifies some of these memories, as we plan our homeschool days to accommodate two children instead of three or more. It is easy to let myself drift into the world of what would have been or could have been instead of what is.
Something else that has been filling our August and other summer nights is stargazing. We have been watching periodically for the International Space Station and this week have tried to catch some of the meteor showers. Even in our suburban neighborhood, where the streetlights obscure some of the stars, there is something amazing about lying down in the front yard and staring at the heavens.
Those moments have helped bring a little bit of peace to my August, too. Isaiah 40:25 to 26 says, "To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?" says the Holy One. "Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing."
The God who created and sustains the heavens is the same one who created me, and my children, and who sustains the life of everyone on Planet Earth. And He holds them still, the ones who have escaped their earthly existence to live with Him in glory. "Not one of them is missing." I miss them, dearly, but they are not missing. They are with Him, and He will continue to sustain me, and to use their lives, on this side of heaven.
It is a truth that motivates me each morning, and that keeps me running to my Father when the memories are too heavy. He is strong and mighty and faithful and one day I will see Him (and them) face to face.
What keeps you going when the memories get heavy? Share in the comments!
Those moments have helped bring a little bit of peace to my August, too. Isaiah 40:25 to 26 says, "To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?" says the Holy One. "Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing."
The God who created and sustains the heavens is the same one who created me, and my children, and who sustains the life of everyone on Planet Earth. And He holds them still, the ones who have escaped their earthly existence to live with Him in glory. "Not one of them is missing." I miss them, dearly, but they are not missing. They are with Him, and He will continue to sustain me, and to use their lives, on this side of heaven.
It is a truth that motivates me each morning, and that keeps me running to my Father when the memories are too heavy. He is strong and mighty and faithful and one day I will see Him (and them) face to face.
What keeps you going when the memories get heavy? Share in the comments!
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