From The Director, Kathy Irvin:
October Newsletter - Joy In The Journey
Imagine rolling out of bed in the morning announcing that today I will find joy in my journey? The journey, that unknown unpredictable wandering way that is our lives. With the start of fall, with endings and beginnings, often the journey feels overwhelming, fear filled, uncontrollable, exhausting. First days of school leave even the most eager parent a bit anxious. Honestly, haven't some of these thoughts crossed your mind? Will my child cry? Will I know how to handle him? Will the teachers love my child? Will she have friends? Will other children be nice to my child? Will he be safe? Will she learn enough to be bright and charming in the big world? Will they fit in? Will they manage the new expectations? Will I? Will my child measure up? Will I? These thoughts do not end, even when they are grown and leave your home! Ever find yourself trying to plan the journey? I've tried to write the script, the travel log, with outcomes and endings carefully planned. Most often the more detailed the plan the more my children swerve off the path and the more anxious I become until I am swallowed by disappointment. Joy in the journey? And, if we don't carefully construct our own script, we often buy into the script that society has written for us? Children must be bright, polite, clean, quiet, athletic, articulate, beautiful… Homes should be decorated, food delicious and organic, spouses handsome and thin… Joy in the journey? Yikes! Pull the covers back up! I've come to believe that the joy is in the unpredictable parts of our travels. Really it is the only way to face the day and survive. Our children will develop and grow and stretch to be the unique individuals that God has created no matter how hard we try to mold them, and so will we. Perhaps we can adjust our seeing. What will we discover today? Will steps in the journey lead us forward or backwards? Can I love my child, spouse, myself without judging according to the script. If I accept that life is a journey, an adventure just waiting to unfold, what will I find? What will surprise me today? God's gift to us is our journey, different from all others. Our children will have their own journeys just as unpredictable and uncertain. The key to surviving the adventure is believing that He is on this journey with us and no matter what we find around the bend, He will help us deal with the downs and search for the joys. So, let's give it a try as we roll out of bed and step into the day. Let's gift our children with the knowledge that the journey is up and down, surprising and joy-filled.