Football and Flowers

 "I figure God made the flowers grow; 

I might as well share them."

-wise words of the little old Amish lady whose beautiful bouquet of flowers (stuck in a reused Applesauce jar) I bought for less than $2 yesterday

Summer is rolling by!  I know it is for all of us.  Time having fun always goes too fast!  But really, once we get back from vacation in early August, I must sign our lives away to fall sports.  Forgive me if I do not sound off-the-wall excited for the new activities my children have signed up for... which only have us committed for two hours a night, five days a week (before school begins) but then cuts back to two hours a night, three days a week (after school begins).  After all, we are talking about the all-important activities of football and cheer-leading.  Yes... football... and cheer-leading.  I know, I know.  This glo-burban mama has gone All-American, and she drags her feet while doing so.  

There are several reasons I find it difficult to get excited about this new venture my children are taking.  Not only am I concerned about the obvious... that precious brain behind that silly helmet... but I am dreading the hurried evenings, the loss of family time at home, and the challenge to complete homework, dinner, practice, and showers.  And then I worry about the football and cheer-leading "culture."  You know... all the glam and glory.  The boys competing in toughness and aggression.  The girls in cute ponytails and long legs.  And did I mention that I don't even understand the game of football?  Believe me; I've tried.  But if you haven't ever watched the game, it's very boring.  Trust me.  And what if they actually like it?  What if they want to continue?  Will I lose my children to the ranks of cocky, supposedly-popular, selfish, bratty teenagers?!  ...You understand my angst.

So where does that Amish woman's quote fit in with football and cheer-leading?  Well, to be honest, I keep finding myself in places where I am being asked to loosen the apron strings I've strung to my children, and I don't find this easy. Whether it was allowing Jaida to try out the haunted house ride on the boardwalk (she surprisingly loved it!) or realizing that Dylan is developing his own taste for music (very different than my own) or dropping them off with complete strangers at Bynden Wood Day Camp this week, I feel the tug between wanting to control their decisions and knowing I need to loosen my grip.  

My children are like the Amish woman's flowers.  Can I hold them as generously as she does her beloved blooms, willing to share them with a world I cannot control?  It is a delicate task the parent is asked to do.  It does not mean giving up on guiding our children altogether.  Not at all!  The Amish woman does not cut her flowers and throw them at the edge of the road for any wanderer to carelessly pick up.  Neither do we allow our children to follow every whim and desire.  She first nurtures her flowers with tenderness and water, allowing them to blossom in whatever color and form they are created to be.  She then cuts her stems, arranges the blooms in a lovely bouquet, and lets them leave her garden and go into the hands of others who admire their beauty.  She does not own her flowers; she cannot control the growth process.  They are gifts given to her so that she may share them.  

It is the same with my children.  They are amazing gifts that I aim to nurture with loving counsel, gentle discipline, listening ears, and a trusting spirit.  They are not mine, though.  How differently we treat our children when we remember that!  

The Amish woman's words keep repeating themselves in my head as I wonder what humankind would be like if we viewed all of God's creation in the same way... the oceans, the trees, the animals, "our" backyards, "our" food, the air we breathe.  

"I figure God made the flowers grow; I might as well share them."