Well, it's taking a little longer for me than for some others--my children are a bit widely spaced. But one by one they are flying the nest, and so this painting of the "empty nest" is one of my more personal creations.
Life...nests...so much texture. So many layers.
As I laid the foundation for this painting, I tore out some of the hundreds of prayers I'd recorded in old journals, and I layered them into the "nest." This was symbolic, because I knew I'd paint over them and they would no longer be seen, much as the prayers we pray over our children go "unseen" but are stored up and treasured by our Heavenly Father. Before going further, I took a moment to capture some of them:
We pour ourselves out for our little ones. We do all we can to shelter them. But the main purpose of parenthood is to prepare our children to fly. We want to hold them close, but in so doing, we have to be careful not to accidentally hold them back. They need to be equipped, not only to fly on their own, but to also teach the next generation to fly just as well!
If any of you know me, you know one of my little birds flew all the way to Korea and got married there. It was certainly challenging for me to release her, but she is soaring on her own and I know that I can rest assured that I prepared her well. I also know she does her best to "fly home" as much as she is able. And now she is training my granddaughter to fly, too!
I know that one of the absolute best things I have done for my children is pray scriptures over them. I participated in Moms in Prayer throughout their childhoods and I continue to join my husband and other moms in praying for my adult kids. I know God loves them even more than I do, and so I know I have left them in good hands.
Like any nest...like this painting...parenthood has many "textures" and "layers." But that's what makes it so interesting and special, don't you think? What parenting season are you in? Do you struggle with the thought of letting go? Do you appreciate the "textures" of your parenthood journey? Let me know in the comments below!