Wow! Where did the year go?

How did it happen? How did almost an entire year go by without a word to my blog? Well, LIFE happened and it is full! We are now half way through the 3rd quarter of 2009.
This is the time in our lives when we are hanging onto what's left of child rearing. Our baby is beginning her junior year of high school and I am sure that there is no way to slow it down at this point. Those who have gone before us assure us that we will look up to find that our home is quiet, kid's rooms left with only remnants of their childhood treasures and we will have the house to ourselves with only one another to entertain! Yes... I do believe I can handle that. Empty nest sounds like something we have earned. Parenting is hard work and I am looking forward to some "rest in the nest". Although, my cousin says that as your children get older, their problems get bigger and more complicated. That has certainly been true for our oldest; however, the responsibility changes somewhat. God's word tells us to "train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it" Proverbs 22:6. I have told my children that no matter what they choose in this life, their most important choice is to be a christian. I want them to have eternal life more than anything else.
For now, I should most likely cherish these hours(many of them late night)....spent waiting up until she arrives home after a date or makes it safely to her destination, watching her sporting events, repeatedly advising her to spend more time studying than with her boyfriend, encouraging the cleaning of her room; not to mention the hours of pain & agony when she's late coming home or calling, disobedient, hurting and broken hearted.
Mamaw told me that one day I would miss cleaning up after these children. Of course, she also thought the children could do no wrong, so I don't quite get it, yet. Maybe I will understand one day, when I'm a grandmother... later, much later!