Every summer…
Our family gathers at my parents’ in Iowa.
This is something that we all look forward to, all year long.
A few weeks ago…
I received a call from my mom (while I was driving – so, the kids could hear)…
Sharing a new idea where all the grandkids come to the farm first…
And the parents meet them a week later.
My kids upon hearing this question?…
Ecstatic!
“OMG MOM… YES YES YES!!!”
Despite schedule conflicts and all the questions and thoughts flowing through my head…
I had to admit…
What an amazing opportunity for these kiddos!
I ended up moving my youngest’s birthday party up a couple days…
And on July 12th, their Papa braved the 6.5 hour train ride back to IA… with 6 grandkids!
Now, everyone kept asking me what I was going to do with my time…
And don’t you worry, I created quite the to-do list!… ;)…
HOWEVER…
My consistent reply was…
“Dan and I are gonna date.”
And that is just what we’ve been doing.
Patio lunches, live music, cooking together, visiting the gym, walking our dog, smooth-going errands…
We’ve simply been ENJOYING each other.
I have to tell you, it’s all been a blessing in disguise.
We all love our children – of course!
They become our world.
But as this happens…
We often forget about the person we were… pre-kids…
We forget about the couple we were…
Before so much of the focus goes to parenting those kiddos.
Having this incredible opportunity to focus my energy on my husband…
To have the uninterrupted moments to not only hear him…
But truly listen.
Sharing in common interests without having to take anyone elses’ into account…
It’s been such an unexpected gift to our marriage.
A gift that has reminded me…
We DO have something special…
And we DO like being together.
It makes me look forward to our empty nester days…
Knowing that we still have a great time, just the two of us.
My encouragement today…
Don’t forget to date your person!
We can’t all have a week without our kids…
BUT…
Date!
Make time to talk.
Ask for help – so you can.
Because one day…
God willing…
It will be just the two of you…
And my goodness…
By making the time to tend to and nurture your relationship NOW…
You’ll be that much more able to reap the rewards in the future!
Believing in us, always.
