End of one season... Beginning of another...

We celebrated with balloons and Peach/Blueberry cobbler and ice cream. He texted at 4:00 and said "I've graduated!"  And although we fully plan to all go to his actual graduation in December and cheer him on, those words meant he has finished well.

"Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find?" Proverbs 20:6

21 months ago, the Troop began this journey of completing his masters.  He'd talked about it for years.  YEARS.  But there were always babies, then drivers, then graduations, and LIFE, and it just didn't happen.  Thankfully, our school faculty found a way to encourage our teachers to get it done - and partnered with Oklahoma Wesleyan University to make it possible.  Our "plan" was for him to start after football season in 2018 (retire from coaching) and finish this summer.  Well, our awesome guys made it all the was to STATE FINALS that year.  So he coached football, taught three classes, was our academic counselor AND started his own classes for his masters.

It was rough.

In the 21 months that he's had classes (8 weeks each, running one after another), we've had some big milestones with our troops.  Even though he's spent most evenings and every weekend studying, life has marched on.

Our oldest graduated from college in December of 2018 and married in January of 2019.

Our 4th graduated from high school.

Our second graduated from OBU in May of 2019 and started her job as a NICU nurse that July.

My father-in-law passed away after battling dementia in April of this year.

Our 5th graduated from high school in May.

Our 2nd got married in June.

Our Coach became our newest secondary headmaster - and turned 50.

Our 3rd born has continued chemo, oral chemo, labs, and scans through this entire season.  

Meanwhile, we had three in college, then two - and will be three again, this Fall.

We've still had kids still in school - football, volleyball, basketball, and tennis seasons.

Little Man finished elementary - our last one to go through the blue door to secondary.  He'll be a 7th grader this Fall.

And of course, the pandemic - starting in March - with distance learning, all seven of our younger kids home (one working, two doing college classes online, and four doing school online).  While spending time with family before and after Papa passed away... AND planning a wedding.

My amazing Coach is ambitious, disciplined, hard working, and never wastes time.  The only exception being, during the pandemic we started watching an episode of Blue Bloods about 9:00 in the evening, but if I don't get there in time? He goes to bed.  Ha!  He has a long list of responsibilities and he executes them beautifully.

He's always reading, studying, learning, challenging me - and our kids - to pursue Christ and use our minds and stay active.

One example of this is that he suggested (after reading an article in Runner's World) that we should start a "Run Every Day" streak on Memorial Day.  Hahahahaha!  Because we had nothing else going on, right?  But we did it.  And I'm still going.  Today was day 69.  Would I have ever done that on my own? Nope.  But it was fun to do it, together.

I'm writing all of this down, because I want to remember this season of life.  It's been CRAZY.  If I think about it too long, it's overwhelming.  Not really because it's been hard.  Which is has.  But because God has been SO good to us.  Not in taking away the hard or freeing us from struggle... but in being PRESENT in it all.  We've had His comfort, His peace, His wisdom, His strength.  

And as I look ahead to moving the boys back to OBU this week and moving our #5 FAR FAR AWAY to Virginia for her first semester of college... As I look ahead to (Lord willing) our #3 finishing chemo for GOOD, later this month.  As I look ahead to having a senior, sophomore, and 7th grader left at home and what school will like during his crazy season in history... as I look ahead to the Coach starting his first school year as headmaster (even while I'm still over here still missing the football coaching) and for the first time ever, not teaching in the classroom...

It would be easy to worry about what the future holds. Prayerfully, I hope it holds healing and restoration for our #3 after 3 1/12 years of treatment.  Another high school graduation AND another college graduation next May.  Maybe another wedding somewhere in the future, maybe grandchildren (wouldn't that be fun?) at some point. All surrounded by great political and economic uncertainty, and an unknown future.

But it's not unknown to God.

So I'll just camp out there.  Trusting Him who has been faithful - that He will continue to be.  Knowing that we make plans, but God has the very best gifts in store for us.  That He promises to finish the work He began when the Coach and I promised ourselves to Him and to each other - and this family was born (over 25 years ago).  He'll never give up on us.  So we'll keep hanging on and doing the next thing and trusting Him for the future.  And taking naps whenever possible.

Happy 1st Sunday of August.