My sister has been here visiting over the last few days and it has been so fun. To watch Audrey with her cousin and her brother is the stuff that dreams are made of. Family is a life line in these weird days of pandemic parenting. When the whole world has begun treating all people with “stranger danger” mentality, it is refreshing to take the plunge into the family pool where the potential risks are far outweighed by the bazillion and one benefits; mainly the feeling of getting to fill your cup, that has been so deeply depleted over the last few months.
Today, Audrey and I harvested our peaches from the baby tree we planted last spring. It was our first real fruits from the labor of love it is to keep a new tree from dying in the intense heat of Utah summers. She has been patiently watching them grow and turn from the pale green of budding fruit to the bright and saturated peachy orange that signifies it is pie ready. (Because who doesn’t love peach pie?!?) As we gently plucked each peach from its home on the tree, we discovered so much life happening. There were spiders and bees. Worms had even taken up housing inside one of the peaches. She loved it. It was satisfying to see those hot days of extra water paying off. Those fruits will be extra delicious because we had a hand in bringing them to fruition.
I suppose it was a bit of a lesson in parenting. Watering and pruning a tree for a year and then slowly and patiently watching the peaches ripen on their branches. Not to forget the washing and rinsing and eventual chopping that will go into the eventual pie. All these long days of raising littles will one day mean our adult kids and their spouses are fun to be around. It will lead to world changing humans who are humble and kind. It’s hard work with a whole heck of a lot of delayed gratification. But in the end, just like that peach pie, all of the hard parenting moments and exhausting days (and nights, thanks to baby Harry) will have been so very worth it.
It’s hard to see past the monotony and loneliness of pandemic parenting some days. But we have a God who cares deeply for our hearts and nourishes our souls, and because of that, we have harvest days. Today we literally harvested fruit. But so many times the reward for our diligence in raising our children is in smaller, less obvious moments. Watching them hug a friend or care for their dog. It comes in the spontaneous drawing of pictures and short drives to deliver them to friends. It can be seen in the way they love their siblings or their cousins - the few times a year they get to see them - and in the way they get so excited over the simplest pleasures. Thank you Jesus, for the sweetest moments and reminders that this hard work is your work and is completely worth it.
