In the middle

Hello again! Hoping your Thanksgiving holiday went well and the Christmas season is going just as well! Take a look at this week's column and pass it along if you like it.

P.S. Please continue to pray for me. I mentioned it a couple of weeks ago about this ongoing bout against anxiety and it's been quite a bit better (thank the Lord that He listens to the prayers of His people!) but I'm not 100%. I'd greatly appreciate it.

Original publication date: Friday, December 4, 2015
Random Writer
In the middle 

A couple of weeks ago, I sat in Sunday School and something said by my substitute teacher (I find it funny to use that phrase at my age, but truly, she wasn’t my original teacher) has stuck in my mind all this time.

It wasn’t a long, drawn-out thought, but she said that the current season of her life is in a prime position--her parents are still around and doing well, while her children are now adults and also doing well. And once I thought about it, I resigned to the fact that I’m in that same position...sort of.

I may not have kids, but the next generation of Serrano kids are growing up right before my eyes. From my niece who’s in middle school to my nephew who hasn’t even started school, and to the two nephews in the middle--a kindergartner and a fourth grader, “my kiddos” are growing not only in a physical sense, but intellectually and spiritually as well, and for that I’m blessed.

And then I have my parents--one who just cracked the six-decade mark and another who’ll be there, Lord willing, in a few years. They’ve lived to see their sons have children, and at this age, they can still get around and go to work. That, too, is a blessing as some people who are that age are unable to do that.

And then there’s me, right in the middle of this blessedness. This season of life has been stranger than I would have imagined, but the spiritual lessons that I have learned in this time have strengthened me and my reliance on God.

It was a joy to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with them. But every now and then, as it usually happens, this feeling of remorse likes to linger--I feel bad for being blessed.

Because I’ve seen people my age who aren’t “in the middle” like I am. They’ve gone through the loss of a child, or a parent has passed away. They’re both unimaginable to me. But there are some who have gone through that valley in their lives, and due to social media, sometimes we catch a small glimpse of how they process and deal with it. And I can only hope and pray that when that particular season enters my life, that I can deal with it with the grace and God-given strength that many have exemplified in their own lives.

And I’ve written about it before. This time of year is hard when a loved one has gone. We can’t be all bent out of shape when Christmas party plans fall apart when others are dealing with much more serious matters.

So as I find myself in the middle of this season of life, I’ll relish the memories all the more. I’ll resolve to give that hug or voice my love for those special people in my life. And while it will be hard to break the habit, I’ll do my best to pull my eyesight from the glow of the smartphone to look at the ones I love and thank the Lord that He’s given me this time to spend with them.