growing pains

It's interesting to me - in a personal (not a cool, clinical) way -that growing hurts. Kids have growing pains as their bones grow and the rest of them tries to catch up - not imaginary pains but real, physical pain.
All through life we experience pain or at least discomfort with each growth process. Birth - you gotta go through pain to get out of mom and into the big world (and medical studies show that babies whose mothers experience labor (versus planned c-sections where the mother doesn't go through labor) do better. Whether you are learning a new skill (like riding a bike, Michelle?), starting a new relationship, or moving out on your own - pain is a part of the process.
The past week has been a growing one for me (and for my daughter - but you have to read her blog for that story). Michelle moved out of the country for a while and Logan left for college.

While I have been looking forward to Ron and I being a couple again - this week has been hard - make that painful. I miss them. I worry about them. I hurt to see them dealing with their own fears, anxieties, and challenges. But this week has also been a great week spiritually for me. I had gotten pretty lax in prayer life and my time in God's word. This week has brought a renewal there - and a reminder to me of the peace and comfort God has for me.
So while I have been experiencing pain - it truly is a growing pain. And while I want to protect my children from pain - I don't want them to lose out on what they can gain because of a fear of the pain -whether its the pain of seperation, or of failing at something, or just the fear of the unknown. Because while the pain is real - it doesn't last forever...and the end results can be surprizingly good.