In the morning I dial up the music of the day...the mood...the moment. Sometimes it becomes the soundtrack for the day. I find the right group, theme or vibe that is needed for the day. Well, the electrical outlet is suddenly acting a bit odd and my ipod battery is not behaving either. I was forced to dig out the old crusty shower radio and the basket of neglected cds in the closet to have music playing while I was getting ready for my little guy's first day of kindergarten. I knew I would need distractions. I haven't heard these songs in a long time and as the kids came in to prep for the first big day of the school year...this song came on.
Years ago I liked the song for the melody and part of the message but I had no idea how pertinent the lyrics would be a few years later. Lots of changes in our lives have brought us to a whole new place in our lives.
I reflect on my life while driving to work in the morning. I look at the mountains and am reminded of how tiny we are. I look at the valleys and realize that the lows only help us to appreciate the peaks. I watch the sky and know that in an instant a cloud, a storm can change everything. I also watch the fields. I noticed in the beginning of the summer that the corn plants were tiny and in perfect little rows. I have been watching them grow all season....each day bringing a tiny sadness with the realization that summer will be over before I even began to get used to the ease of it all. In a blink they are tall crops ready to be harvested.
This brings me back to today. For almost ten years I have watched my little seeds sprout and grow and get taller and stronger. There was always one by my side...a little hand to keep mine company. They have made me laugh when life was more than challenging. They have inspired me to be a better person. I have cultivated good humans that are literally getting bigger from season to season. I have the pencil marks to prove it. I sang with my babies as they brushed their teeth and smiled back at me in the mirror. As I sang I realized the song was a soundtrack of my life for the last few years. For many. For all. We have grown. We have changed. We have gone. We have come together. As I look forward to this next season as well as the next year of my life I am planting a new crop of seeds for the new beginnings and changes that life brings us. I will say goodbye to my tiny babies and hello to the wonderful children that they are...embracing all of it. I will also remember that I have spent ten years feeding my tiny caterpillars and now they are gorgeous butterflies...that lyric hit me the hardest.
"How to pull it close and make it stay...butterflies are free to fly and so they fly away..."
The butterfly I am becoming understands the nature of it all. I will celebrate the changes and retain the beautiful memories but I will never punish the transition. With new butterflies come new adventures and I am excited for them all!
Good! Sounds like you are handling the first day very well then...see you tomorrow. Packing for Garlic Fest will surely be a distraction!! Good news is John got most of the booth parts taken care of already.
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