During the summer, Wednesdays are my day off. Now that band camps are over, Dr. Band Geek isn’t teaching but he’s preparing for the upcoming school year. Auditions and meetings and drill writing and emailing. So he goes to school most days of the week. Not every day and not all day but most days for most of the day.
I get Wednesdays to run errands, meet a friend for lunch, hunt through Goodwill like I don’t have a care in the world. In summers past, I’ve locked myself in my room and scrapbooked all day. Maybe this year I’ll take a book to the waterpark by myself and read by the water.
For some reason, I feel the need to sing Freebird.
This past Wednesday, I set off to treasure hunt for Skillet’s upcoming birthday. He has requested a “red dragon” party. Not a How to Train Your Dragon Party. Nor a Pete’s Dragon party. Or even a Puff the Magic Dragon party. All of which are easy to find ready-made and waiting to be purchased. No, Skillet wants a fierce, fire-breathing, flying, red dragon party.
And also, no knights…fierce, fire-breathing, flying, red dragon party.
(Please read that with a hard eye-roll)
One day and lots of hours of online searching later I realized I’m gonna need to create this thing on my own.
As I was leaving The Dollar Tree (which only had dinosaurs and believe me, I already tried to pass those off as dragons) (he didn’t buy it), Dr. Band called. He was grilling a burger outside, Skillet was playing nearby because anywhere Daddy is is exactly where he wants to be. Dr put him on the phone and the sweetest little voice says…
“Hi, Momma!”
And I just about could not stand how much I loved him.
Listening to him talk, tell me what he was doing, how much fun he was having, I wanted to hit record. Go back 15 seconds to the beginning and record his greeting. Catch the magic of the moment on the computer I carry in my hand. Keep it for forever. Able to replay his sweet voice over and over and over again.
Of course, I couldn’t but I couldn’t let go of it either. The sound of his voice coming through the phone, well, I carried it with me all week. I kept it nearby too in case I needed it’s magic to make other, less wonderful moments, a bit more bearable.
You know, like, and this is a totally random example, when he pitches a fit because he doesn’t know how to put his Legos in their box.
The last couple of days, as I’m been thinking about that very ordinary, every day, walking around moment in our completely normal, mundane week, I kept hearing The Byrds.
“To everything
Turn, turn, turn
There is a season
Turn, turn, turn
And a time for every purpose under heaven”
Which they stole from Ecclesiastes 3. Although, maybe God was fine with it. The YouTube video has over 12 million views so maybe there’s something to this putting scripture to song thing. (That’s sarcasm, Y’all)
I find this scripture to be so comforting. Everything is seasonal. Nothing but the kingdom of God is eternal.
Summer and childhood are not forever. We can’t hold on to things or moments or seasons. Even the astronomical amount of videos we already have of our children doing all the things they’ve ever done since the moment they entered this world.
It’s all fleeting.
But we still try and catch those moments, don’t we? Almost like we catch fireflies in jars during the early summer. Holding them in as long as they are lighting but letting them go before they run out of air. Because we know their lights need to be in the world not caught up inside jars.
Moments can’t be caught and held forever. They can be examined with awe and wonder but at some point, we have to release those moments, let the light of our gratitude into the world.
I pray you experience a moment you want to catch and hold on to this week. A word or a laugh or a look or a touch. Something that brings you joy and warmth. An everyday, ordinary split second that reminds you how much you are loved and how much you can love another.
And then, release it back to the Father. The God of heavenly lights. The One who sent you that exact moment before He set a single star in the sky. Open the lid of the jar, and offer it back to Him wrapped in the beauty and humility of gratitude. Let your gratitude and it’s light fly up to Him and land right next to His hands. And think of Him smiling at the beauty of you and your gift of praise and worship to Him.
We can never hold on to a moment forever no more than we can hold on to fireflies or little boys with their sweet, excited voices. But in Christ, we have forever to experience these moments from Him and eternity to give Him our gratitude for each one.