For new things to begin others things have to end

I didn’t want to wake up this morning.  It was one of those days that I wished I could sleep another 6 hours.  But I rolled out of bed, got my coffee and attempted to connect with God before the demands of the day set in.  I opened up   “JESUS CALLING”, By Sarah Young  to the entry for today March 24th, what was on the page shocked me.

This is a time in your life when you must learn to let go: of loved ones, of possessions, of control. In order to let go of something that is precious to you, you need to rest in My Presence, where you are complete. Take time to bask in the Light of My Love. As you relax more and more, your grasping hand gradually opens up, releasing your prized possession into My care.

You can feel secure, even in the midst of cataclysmic changes, through awareness of My continual Presence. The One who never leaves you is the same One who never changes: I am the same yesterday, today, and forever. As you release more and more things into My care, remember that I never let go of your hand. Herein lies your security, which no one and no circumstance can take from you.

Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, O Lord.

—Psalm 89:15

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

—Hebrews 13:8

“For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.”

—Isaiah 41:13

How true is this for me right now.  I needed to hear that today.  We are starting down the road, beginning to make preparations for an an amazing journey for our family.  Yesterday, Caleb got an official verbal offer to become the Director of EP Business Acceleration!!!!! It’s really going to happen!  With this we found out that he gets a salary increase, bonus increase as well as the expat program covering most of our expenses while we are abroad. This is more than we could have asked for and an amazing opportunity for Caleb’s career as well as our family.

Today I gave official notice to my daycare families that after 10 years of doing business Grow and Tell daycare will be closing on April 15th.  I am currently working 3 days a week.  That means I only have 9 more days of daycare left.  SINGLE digits!  I have reviewed my daycare records and figured out that I have cared for 40 children in my home daycare.  That is a lot of lives I’ve had the opportunity to touch.  That is a lot of noses I have wiped, boo-boo’s I’ve kissed, meals I have prepared, lessons I’ve taught and “kid questions” I have answered.

I know God gave me gifts to use with children.  I am happy I had the privilege of staying home with my kids while pursuing a career of my own. They weren’t all days filled with joyous laughter, finger paint and perfect harmony. There more moments of crying, arguing, frustration, bumps, bruises, messes, and mess ups than I’d like but it was a learning process for all of us. Sure we learned our ABC’s but I always believed that there were more important lessons for children learn in their preschool years. I hope they learned they are loved, that they matter, that it’s okay to mess up and try again. I hope they have learned how to be a friend, how to have fun and how to care for themselves,others and the earth.  Among many other things I learned to rely on God more as I cared for these little people.  I remember a season when a particular child was dealing with some tricky behavior issues.  I tried to be consistent and loving but also felt discouraged that we were not able to tackle the behavior.  I felt alone, angry and pretty hopeless.  I was praying one morning when I told God “I don’t have it in me to love this kid”  God kindly told me “IT”S OKAY, you don’t have to.  I have all the love this child needs and if you ask me I can give you the love to show this child”  It’s a daily struggle for me even now to take the extra effort to teach a child to settle an argument, to stoop down to their level when I am talking to them, and to be generous with praise and hugs.

When I started doing in home daycare I didn’t know how long I’d last.  When both of my kids started school full time I evaluated a career change.  I was craving change but also couldn’t think of something else that would provide me with the benefits of being around when my family needed me and paid as well as daycare was paying me so I continued on.  I am thankful for all the wonderful families that trusted me with their children, for Caleb for always supporting me and letting me decompress a the end of the day thankful for my kids sharing their mom with other children.  I am thankful for the wonderful house with a separate area for me to do daycare in.  It’s been a fun ride here, but this is my stop.  After 10 years I am  putting a close on this chapter of my life as a licensed family childcare provider.