GOING WITH THE FLOW
by Susan J. Hetrick

One of the things I find most interesting about living in a blender is the fluidity of it. Everything is always in constant motion. Nothing stays in one place for long, and nothing is stagnant.

Here's an example: Recently my daughter Zoni (age 16) decided she wanted to go live with her dad. She wasn't running away from anything (we have a great relationship), and she seemed pretty happy living in Arizona, but she missed her dad and wanted to move to Las Vegas to live with him. So right after Christmas, she packed up her belongings and moved. This sort of thing doesn't happen in nuclear families - only in the blender.

I won't pretend that her leaving didn't hurt. I miss her like crazy! And it certainly wasn't easy on her either. She had to manage the paperwork involved in changing schools, choose new classes, get a Hepatitis vaccination (required in the new school district, but not here), and get a new driver's license. Then there is the fact that she left many friends behind, and only knows one person in her new school.

However, God is trying to teach us both a lesson. I don't know what her lesson is, but mine is to let go. I realized when I had kids that they were a gift from God, but that I wasn't meant to keep them forever. We have a very short time allotted to us to raise our children. We do the best we can to instill intelligence, common sense and good decision-making skills in them, giving them unconditional love and support, in order to set them free to be who God wants them to be. Ultimately, our children belong to God, and we can't cling to them or hold them back.

So, the flow in our particular blender changed. One less person in the house on a daily basis can change the dynamics of everything! Try thinking of your family as a liquid - like a river. If a boulder falls into a river, it changes the flow of the river. The river doesn't stop and demand that the boulder remove itself; the river adjusts and flows around the boulder.

Keep in mind that no matter what sort of routine or flow develops in your blender, it can change at any moment. When it does, try not to get upset about it. Railing against change or disruption doesn't make it go away; it just makes life more uncomfortable for everyone. Focus on the positive and leave the rest to God. "And Jesus said, 'Return to your house and describe what great things God has done for you.'" Luke 8:39a