seasons change – thankfully!

Kids grow up, which means parents constantly enter new phases of life. It seems like just when you get one phase figured out, you enter a new one. You can’t get comfortable long (or ever) as a parent.  I’m so thankful for the constant change. In hard phases, I’ll remind myself, “this too shall pass” and I get through it. In the overwhelmingly good phases, I remind myself, “this too shall pass” and I savor it. The hard and the good – they compliment each other in the best way.

I’ve been a mom for 11 years now. So, not very long. But, long enough to know how desperately I need my friends.

I’ll never understand why or how, but I am surrounded by incredible friends. Some since my middle school days, some from college, some I’ve met online and some new. Women that hold me up when I can’t stand and women that cheer me on and make me feel awesome.

When I became pregnant with my first son, I also became friends with a handful of girls that were at the same stage of life.  We’ve gone through the stages of parenting together. The early phase of having one baby and doing church Bible studies together. Then more kids came along and we did play dates at parks. Then we fretted over all day kindergarten and what school to choose. Next came the season of juggling elementary aged kids with babies and toddlers at home. We’ve stood shoulder to shoulder screaming at the top of our lungs for each others sons on the soccer field. We’ve watched our collective kids grow.

We’ve watched each other grow.

For nearly a decade, we’ve cheered kids on and we’ve supported each other as moms when mothering required our everything.

We are entering a new phase now. A phase where passions and dreams that were sidelined for a season can now be chased. We get to cheer each other on in new ways.

This weekend one of my girls (my friend, not daughter) competed in her first Crossfit competition. She killed it. For a decade I’ve watched her mother her four kids with endurance, patience, strength and grace. I’ve watched her show up for every game, plan countless parties, pray over her kids and be a rock for her family.

This weekend instead of watching her grace, endurance and strength in the parenting realm, I got to see it among a field of athletes. And she shined.

I stood next to her four kids, her husband, my family, my other friends and their kids. We’ve been to countless sporting events cheering together for our various kids. This time we got to stand and cheer for her. I’m so proud of her. I’m so thankful for friendships that span time and enter new seasons of life.

I’m thankful that seasons change.

At one point I leaned over to her son next to me and said, “You know – your mom is super awesome.”

He smiled back at me and said, “Yeah, I know.  She is.”

I’m not naming her because it might embarrass her, but she’s somewhere in that picture above…she might be the one on the bar that you can see her killer shoulder muscles. Maybe. That might be her 😉

In parenting, in life, seasons change. Kids growing up isn’t a terrible thing to dread. In fact, it is pretty much awesome in my opinion. I sure loved that season of newborns and playdates, but it was hard too! This season of kids getting older and more independent….well, it has it perks too.

Even better than seasons changing is having friends to walk through those seasons with you.

This weekend reminded me of how grateful I am to know and be known by my close friends. It is a rare and beautiful gift.