Grace-filled Juggling

Call me a juggler. That really is what I'm doing from day to day as I parent five daughters. Trying to figure out which ball to keep in the air at any given time. It's exhausting!

Yesterday my seventeen-year-old took her driver's test. We'd been riding her for a year for putting it off. Hey, all those little kids in town got their licenses first! But her sisters and friends had been willing to cart her around, and she gave them gas money. What did she need a driver's license for?

I had realized the night before that I had a brake light out in my van so we decided she should take the test in her sister's car. But since she'd never driven that car before she would need some practice time beforehand. So at eight o'clock I got her up to clean out the mess that is her sister's car and get ready to go out and drive.

We drove the streets of St. Peter for three hours, looking for spots to do 90 degree backing and parallel parking, the two troublespots for her. Sometimes she nailed it, other times not so much.

Finally the time came for her test. I was nervous! She'd failed it once before and I really didn't want to see her cry again! But when she came in with a smile on her face it was such a relief.

What did it mean for my day? By the time we got home I had time to answer a few emails and get supper started, but I didn't get to work on my current edit at all, the laundry would have to wait till evening. My normal routines went down the tube. But for that day taking my daughter driving was the most important thing. I didn't need to beat myself up for not doing the other things that I couldn't find time for.

That's what giving ourselves grace means. Sometimes that's hard for us. We think we can do it all. But we just can't.

Our kids grow up so fast. I know that sounds cliche. But it's not. Take the time to enjoy them. Take them to lunch, sit at the piano with them, get out the board games. Just love on them!

Traci