Sunday Stories October 9, 2016

God is good all the time.  I know this because He has filled my world with some incredibly amazing people!  One of these is my beloved friend and fellow blogger Sharon Hilman. Today she shares a moment from her kitchen.  I’ve spent time there and it is a wonderful place.  Also, check out her blog at theaccidentalfarmerswife.wordpress.com. Have a great day! Gretchen

Kitchen Conversations

We are a homeschool family whose twins are seniors this year. As a homeschool family, the kids and I spend a lot of time at home together. Much of that time is spent in our kitchen. Our center island is large enough to seat our family of four and we eat all of our meals there. Well, except for those rare times when we eat in the fancy eating room! There is the standard breakfast area, but there is no table in that area. Instead, we have a comfy couch and a coffee table. That couch is well used. As with most families, our kitchen is the hub of the house, but with the addition of that couch, our kitchen became the center of our family conversations. Laughter, tears, decisions, deep conversations, silly conversations, all have taken place in that kitchen on that couch.

While our kids have been filling out college applications and settling on a college, I have been very nostalgic and a little emotional. As our pastor would say, I have been having “all the feels” during this time. Fear that I have not prepared them. Regret that I did not teach that thing I should have taught them. Sadness, knowing they will be on their own soon. Excitement, looking forward to what God has in store for them. Joy, as I see the fine young adults they seem to be blossoming into. Sometimes I am exhausted by all the feelings that are constantly churning in my mind and tugging at my heart. And just when I am feeling overwhelmed, we end up standing around the kitchen counter or sitting on that comfy couch having a random, out of the blue kitchen conversation. Then all is right with my world

When they go out on their own, I think that is what I will miss the most. Those spontaneous conversations in our kitchen. In fact, I can hardly see what I am typing for the tears stinging my eyes!

As I often do when something is tugging on my heartstrings, I go to google and search for a bible verse that covers what is on my mind. As I read through the results, Proverbs 6:20-22 stuck with me, so I looked them up in context. And while these verses lead up to warnings against adultery, out of that context, they can be generalized:

20  My son, keep your father’s commands

And do not forsake your mother’s teaching.

21  Bind them upon your heart forever;

Fasten them around your neck.

22  When you walk, they will guide you;

When you sleep, they will watch over you;

When you awake, they will speak to you.

So, as our kids begin the process of leaving our kitchen, all I can do is pray. I pray that our teachings will always be there to guide them when they need guidance. That our prayers will always be watching over them as they sleep. And that when they are awake, the things we have taught them will always be in the back of their minds, speaking to them. All because of those conversations we had in our kitchen.