When I walked you up to school today, you had no idea how I was feeling. You were so excited about your first day there but I was, and still am, sad. I’m glad you were too excited to notice my tears. You see, as we walked together, I realized that what had once seemed as long, tiring and endless days of babyhood are now gone forever like lightning. It’s as though I blinked my eyes and you and your older siblings were gone from me, your daddy, and home gone to school. How very quiet and how terribly empty the house is this morning!
I gladly stayed at home to enjoy you, your brother and sisters, willingly giving up the glittering, yet empty prizes of careers, professional advancement and a double income. An extra splash in the puddles with you in your bright red boots or “just one more” rereading of your favorite Bible story or lying on the floor playing with your cars, trucks and Legos® all that meant so much more to me than anything the world of jobs and careers could ever offer. But now, in an irreversible instant, all those years are past, gone forever happy memories, but still only memories.
But too, I realize that your daddy and I still have some more precious “family time” to enjoy with you, your brother and sisters going places together, playing, singing, praying and reading the Bible together. These are times so priceless nothing this world might offer in exchange could ever compare with them.
But those times too will quickly pass as quickly as a cloudy breath on a frosty morning. Yet they will have lasting consequences just like the past days of your babyhood. How Daddy and I live our faith before you, how we tell you about the Saviour, the Lord Jesus, will largely determine the kind of “harvest” your life will produce: happiness and satisfaction here and joy forever there or sorrow and misery.
At times you’ve had tears (so have your daddy and I), but someday in years to come you’ll realize that it was far better to have had those tears when you were young much better than having tears of sorrow and regret when you’re old and it’s too late to change or too late for Daddy and Mommy to change the things in your life that caused the tears. Someday, I know, you’ll understand.
I miss you. Daddy and I will be glad to see you all and hear all about your exciting day at the supper table tonight. “Home” with all of you sounds so good.
Ed. (adapted)