Today I help one of my daughters move. She is in her second year of residency after medical school. She has a one year transitional year in Chattanooga and moves back to Birmingham for three more years of anesthesiology. It is extremely hard but it will be worth it in the end.
Moving is not one of my favorite things to do. It is hot, seems never to end and leaves leaves me completely exhausted at the end of the day. Truthfully, I hate moving. Many of you who read this may agree with me.
However, this is probably the last time I will get to do this for my daughter. Her next move will probably involve a group of doctors that she will join for her practice or a hospital that she will work for. Someone else will pay for that move. I will not be needed any longer.
Rejoicing is the ostensible response to such a thought but it also turns another page in both of our lives. It means that I will not have the privilege of doing this again. Yes, I did use the word privilege. I will no longer be able to serve my daughter in this way. I will no longer have her dependent upon my help for moving. She asserts her independence from me again, not by jerking away like a teenager, but by being adult and responsible.
Instead of dreading this day, I should savor it. It is the end of a chapter in my life. It is the end of a chapter of her life. What began as one book has produced independent sequels. We are no longer main characters in one book but recurring characters in separate books. Eventually, my book will end and hers will continue. I want like to have an epilogue which includes pleasant memories.
Children are indeed a gift from the Lord. We must see them as such and all that we do with them is a privilege rather than an obligation.
Today is going to be a great day! I get to help my daughter move!
Psalm 127:3 (NASB)
Behold, children are a gift of the LORD; the fruit of the womb is a reward.
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