Empty Nest

Some parents can't wait for the day when their children leave the nest. After all, getting the kids out from under foot has its advantages. Your electricity and water bill goes down. The grocery bill is generally reduced by half. Aaahhh, privacy to make out whenever you want, where ever you want. And I might add lots more time for real Date Nights.

So, since Bethany and Erin traveled to Kenya on March 9th, our house has been quiet. Extremely quiet...so much so that Daddy-Z and I look at our each other and laugh. And then there are the moments that cause me to cry. I entered the house last Tuesday night and burst into crocodile tears because I missed the giggles, the smell of food cooking in the kitchen, burps, and various other noises, that had made the Ziegler home special for the past nine months. We laughed alot, had fabulous Sunday night meals and discussion around the dinner table, danced, watched "chick flicks," Law and Order, Intervention and The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking together.

Perhaps I am missing the presence of some serious estrogen?? If so, then this post is a follow-up to a past blog I wrote simply called Boomerang. Our 23 year-old son currently lives in Philadelphia and came home for a weekend visit. Who knows if he will decide to move back in with us during the next year. That would be great! And I'd be outnumbered by testosterone 2:1. Guess we'll see what the next year brings. New adventures for B & E in Kenya; Date nights for me and Daddy-Z, and the chance to run through the house wearing a bathrobe to grab my first cup of morning coffee. Still, it is the quietness I must welcome until the nest fills up again. An outrageous new life is just the beginning...and my beautiful sunrises and sunsets over Lake Greenwood await.

In times like these...

Psalm 23, written by David

GOD, my shepherd
I don't need a thing
You have bedded me down in lush meadows,
you find me quiet pools to drink from.

True to your word
you let me catch my breath
and send me in the right direction.

Even when the way goes through Death Valley
I'm not afraid
when you walk at my side.
Your trusty shepherd's crook
makes me feel secure.

You serve me a six-course dinner
right in front of my enemies
You revive my drooping head,
my cup brims with blessing.

Your beauty and love chase after me
every day of my life.
I'm back home in the house of GOD
for the rest of my life.

The Message