Chasing Seagulls

Having teenagers and a twenty-something means having children who have lives of their own.  My younger two Angels, ages fourteen and sixteen, are still caught between the simplicity of childhood and the complexities of turning the corner into adulthood.  Honestly, I love to observe the young women that they are all becoming but it is also very hard on me at times, to accept that there are things that they would sometimes rather do than hang around with their dear old mom.  We have always been a very close-knit family that enjoys spending time with one another.  Yet even after having experienced the "separation phase" between the teenage years and young adulthood twice before, I still find it somewhat jarring when my daughters enter into that period of their lives.  And although I know that it is entirely healthy and necessary for parents and children to separate from each other, my soul sometimes still longs for the days when I had four little ducklings living at home in the nest.

Today, Mark and I decided that we would go for a walk on the beach to hunt for sea glass.  With my illness, it is very easy for me to isolate myself inside of the house, but since we started spending our weekends at the beach, I just cannot justify not getting out into the salty sea air.  The pull of the ocean beckons to me like an old friend and I must do all that I can to motivate my achy body into getting the heck OUT of the house.  I suppose this is one of the many reasons that I decided to begin collecting sea glass.  It wasn't something that I knew anything about, nor was it anything that I had ever done before, but one day something from within my spirit told me that I needed to start hunting for sea glass.(Might it have been one of those quiet God Whispers?)  Mark has been a VERY good sport about my treasure hunts.  Not only does he sometimes accompany me, but he searches for sea glass as well.  This is one of the many, many reasons I love him even more than I did twenty-eight years ago.  He never questions my creative endeavors.  He compliments me and encourages me to do the things that call out to my spirit.  He is all man, yet he has no problem combing the beach for dainty little pieces of sea glass.

Today we decided to recruit our two youngest Angels to join us on our hunt.  They were a bit reluctant at first, but finally agreed to come along.  There are always lots of Seagulls on the beach and when I spotted them, I told the girls to do something that I might not normally suggest.(I love animals and feel bad about disturbing them, especially when I'm infringing on their territory.)
I told them to chase the Seagulls!
And the ten year old Angels in them came bounding forth as they sprung into action.
There they were, chasing the birds until the birds turned around and decided to show them whose territory they were messing around on!  The joy, the laughter, the camaraderie of sisters came charging forward.  How easy and natural it was for them to revert back into being the silly little care-free girls that they were, only a few short years ago.
Pure, unadulterated JOY!  They laughed, I laughed, Mark laughed.  I think I might have even heard the Seagulls laughing.
Watching them run across the beach made me realize that part of my job as their mother, no matter how old they get, is to always remind them of the children that they once were.  And part of my purpose as a woman, is to remind myself to honor the child who was once me.  We all need to play more.  A life that is too serious is a life that has become devoid of joy.

May you remind yourself and those you love, that running, laughing and playing are just as important as getting that laundry done, those bills paid, that room cleaned, etc.  May you think about the things that brought you joy as a child and find out if maybe, just maybe, those things might be worth another look.