The Happiness Then

This morning there were tears as we prepared to say goodbye to Grandma and Grandpa who have been visiting for the week. Goodbyes are part of the narrative the Lord is writing for this season for our children. The miles will do that, won't they?

As I held Lieren, listening to her quiet sadness, I gently reminded her, it's ok to be sad. Because it is. 

It's ok to be sad. 

There is a pure rawness to the sad when our kids say goodbye. And I treasure it. It's the kind of sad that isn't marred by bitterness. It's simply sad. My prayer is that the Lord will use these times in them, to mold and shape them. The same way He has me.

I am reading Hind's Feet on High Places right now. I am stopped at chapter 10 because I sense the need to think longer about the fact that the Shepherd chose Sorrow and Suffering as the companions for Much Afraid's journey. The very best possible guides, He says. 

Not Joy and Peace, but Sorrow and Suffering. 

My hope is that we, the children and myself included, will find the will to take the hands of Sorrow and Suffering and let the Lord guide us to the High Places. 

It surely isn't easy. And it surely doesn't always feel welcome. Like Much Afraid, I find it difficult to plant Acceptance with Joy deep within at times. 

Right before they all got in the van to head to the airport, tears came to our oldest. I leaned over and said again, it's ok to be sad. You're sad because you loved big this week. 

And loving big makes the sad worth it. 

"The pain now is part of the happiness then."

-C.S. Lewis