Happy Sacred Sunday!
Tonight was supposed to be the night I celebrated School Year’s Eve with my three boys. That’s because I thought my oldest son was leaving on his weeklong trip with his school on Monday. I realized yesterday morning that he was actually leaving on Sunday night, which meant we had to rearrange our plans and celebrate last night (Saturday).
The experience was a little different from what we are used to. One change was that for the first time we went out to dinner instead of having dinner at home.
But the other change was the decision to skip the grapes, sparkling cider cheer, and countdown. (Scroll to the top to see our picture.)
Why? Because it felt anticlimactic to do this part of the tradition on a Saturday when one kid wasn’t starting school until Wednesday, the other Thursday, and the last one next Monday.
Orlando suggested, and the boys agreed, to set intentions together at dinner as we’ve always done but do the school year’s eve countdown separately with each kid the night before their first day of school.
This reminded me of what I spoke about in Episode 65 about the way an anchor works.
When you drop an anchor into the water, you prevent your boat from drifting away, but it still has room to move with the current.
A part of me felt sad yesterday that School Year’s Eve wasn’t exactly the way we’ve always done it.
It was a preview of the reality that as these boys become men, life will look different. Our close-knit 5 finger family will evolve, and our traditions will have to adapt.
But it was also an opportunity to witness the power of the anchor.
As we sat at dinner and read through the boys’ intentions from previous years… as they discussed what worked and didn’t work, celebrated successes, and shared what they learned in the process… as I watched them write this year’s intentions with conviction, clarity, and desire… I noticed how ingrained this practice has become and how seriously they take it.
It occurred to me that THIS is the anchor.
That’s what all the bells and whistles were for … to encourage them to enjoy creating a life of intention.
Circumstances will always change, but principles are what we want to remain anchored to.
And that leads me to the principle I shared in today’s podcast episode.
The difference between wanting and wishing.
Last night a little thought crept into my mind: I wish my kids were still little.
But even though sometimes I wish they could be little again, that’s not actually what I want.
Because what I want is for my kids to grow into the highest and best versions of themselves. I want to witness every step of their journey. i want to grow with them and enjoy many adventures with them. I want to remember the good old days with nostalgia, knowing that the present is a temporary gift, and the best is yet to come.
Wishes are often the way our minds play tricks on us.
I walked into Orly’s room and saw the big blue suitcase on the floor, nicely organized and packed. I held his handwritten intentions in a ziplock bag. And I took a moment to breathe in deep gratitude for this moment, knowing that in just a couple of years we’ll be toasting his leaving for college.
I released my wishes and focused on the truth that what I really want is exactly what I have.
This moment.
Right here.
Right now.
That is what I’m anchored to right now.
What about you?
P.S. If this message made you think of someone, would you forward it to them? A simple “this made me think of you” could be exactly the encouragement they need today.
anchors in lifeback to schoolfamily traditionsintentional livingmindful parentingparenting teenagerspersonal reflection
