Not an Empty Nest ☺

I am thankful that we do not have an empty nest. We now have two children that have graduated and one that is about to graduate from high school. Our family formed just about eight years ago, and we’ve had a lot of life in those eight years. I wish we were a family from the beginning of all of their childhoods, because there just wasn’t enough time to watch them grow up.

Dylan has been different for John and I. When we got married he was only five, and John has known him since he was three. We have been able to see and continue to see him grow up together. Dylan is twelve (almost 13!) and full of life. Because I know now from the other three children that time slips away, I am more acutely aware of his growth and daily presence in our lives. Words cannot express all the joy he continues to add to our lives.  I am thankful that we have Dylan and not an empty nest. 

Our Moms

Last Sunday, John and I went to the Trans Siberian Orchestra with our moms. The Orchestra was great.  Jo, John's mom, said she had never thought she would have liked music that loud, but the light show and how everything was put together made it great. We were on our feet rocking and (at least I was) brought to tears at certain points in the show. This was really something to be thankful for, however what I was really thankful for was the time to get together with our moms.

It was fun to treat them to a day out and get all dressed up. I couldn't help but think that without these women we wouldn't be together or have the role models that we did to help us know how marriages can be. At dinner, our moms shared with us the story of how they met our fathers and their courtships. 

Last year, we lost John's Dad. This has acutely brought to my attention that time with our parents is precious. I am thankful for time with our parents every chance we get!

-Julie Willoughby