A Sweet Repose

We were standing ankle deep in the river the other day scooping up tadpoles and deciding which five to take home to keep. All of a sudden we see a camouflaged tadpole emerge who was about five times the size. I cannot even explain how determined we were to claim THAT one as our catch for the day. We tried again and again without success to scoop him up in between all the muddy water resettling again. After many failed attempts, my daughter exasperatingly cries “I just cannot hold this plan LIGHTLY! I’m really trying Mom, but I must have him!”

Do you see yourself in her words? Me too. Many times a day I grumble in my head “I just cannot hold this plan LIGHTLY! I must have ______! Or we must do _____.”

To make a plan and match it with the tenacity to see it through can be a worthy and honorable thing. It is a joy and comfort to our family to know that someone is intentionally laying the framework for a bit of rhythm. A few great stories to read, some recipes to try, exploring adventures packed and ready to go.

But no matter the hopeful beauty you plan to encounter, if your hands are grasped around it with white knuckles, bitterness will eclipse your joy fast. We know these things but before we know it, we are standing in the closet trying to unfold our clenched hands with palms up and heads leaned against the wall. At the mercy of little people being allowed to carry emotions too. Heaven forbid.

So let’s keep making these lovely plans. We are being a steward of our hearts and minds by sitting in that space and showing up for those entrusted to us. This is honorable and good. But let’s think of the plans like each carefully and intricately placed dandelion seed. What a perfect little thought-out arrangement of fluffy parachutes…..WHOOSH! Gone. Who knows where. Some manage to hang on for a while for us to look at longer, while some disappear in seconds.

So looks like we have one of two options:

Make plans and marvel at the plans sticking around exactly as we thought.

Or make plans and send them a sweet farewell when the wind makes them disappear. They were not there in vain. Our good intentions were seen by Him before they up and vanished. Maybe to return in your backyard for another day.