When our children are little they fear that we may leave them.  As parents we don’t understand this idea of separation anxiety because we know that we would never leave our children- at least not forever.  In their little minds and hearts a minute can seem like an hour, and an hour…well, that’s forever. 

The season of this anxiety is daunting to us as we dread the tears, the clinging arms, and the fear we see in their little faces.  But again, we know they really have nothing to fear so we walk away- a little heartbroken, maybe with even a little guilt, only to be assured when we return that they still love us- despite our leaving them. 

Then the rubber band of time snaps and we are suddenly the ones afraid.  When the word after the number 12 is no longer months, but years, we begin to fear they will leave us.  As the 12 grows closer to 18 and beyond, we are the ones shedding tears and hanging on with clingy arms.  What if they don’t need us anymore?  What if they go away to college and never call?  What if they move away after college and never visit?  What if…they leave us? 

Then once again, the rubber band of time snaps, and we find that we are needed not so much (at least for now) by our kids, but by our own parents.  Suddenly, we are needed and afraid; fearful again that our parents may leave us.

This Thanksgiving week, I had the great privilege of spending time with my mom on her birthday- which just happened to be Thanksgiving Day too.  My mom turned 71 this week, and is thankfully in great health.  We are able to do all the mom/daughter things that we want, but it occurred to me this week that she needs me as much as I need her.  It also occurred to me that I am ever so slightly fearful that she’ll leave me. 

One of the many things we enjoyed this week was a lunch with some old friends.  Imagine the other parents you hang out with now- forty years later…this was our lunch.  My parents enjoyed great and lasting friendships with two other couples when we were growing up. All the boys played sports together, all the dads coached those boys, all the moms were team moms and scorekeepers, and all the sisters…well, we lived at the ball field with our families, occasionally working as batgirls and in the concession stand.  So, these folks from so long ago, minus two of the men (one being my dad) who have passed away, got together for lunch.  Besides being older, it was like we hadn’t missed a beat.

This is where I saw firsthand the snapping of that rubber band.  One mom is in poor health, and even as the daughter and this mom joked about her loss of hearing and memory, what I saw was that they needed each other.  I saw a daughter that is just slightly fearful of her mom leaving her.  Another daughter ordered for her mom, and took care of her ailing father.  They needed each other, and there was a slight undertone of that fear of being left. 

We all live in this place of shifting time, changing roles, and snapping rubber bands.  We cried as children when our parents left us, our kids cry when we leave them, we will cry when our children leave us, and then we’re right back where we started…beginning to fear that our parents will leave us.  I guess the best we can do in any and all of these situations is to make the most of the time we have, loving with all we’ve got, saying the things we need to say, assuring each other that nothing is forever- even the leaving part. 

One last reassuring thought came to mind...maybe the rubber bands don't snap, but instead stretch as they are made to do.  We're constantly pulling it, but thankfully someone else on that rubber band with us is pulling too.  We may stretch away for a time, those we love may stretch away for a time, but we are all pulled back in as well.  So, until the rubber band stretches again, I’m going to tell those I love how much I love them, and then hang on tight for as long as I can. 

This Week’s Announcements:
The Giving Tree- Don’t forget to pull an ornament (or two) from the giving tree in the church lobby. This tree will list needed items for Park Street Elementary, MUST Ministries, and Cobb Pregnancy Center.  All items should be dropped off at the church by December 22nd.  No need to wrap anything- just place the ornament you pulled from the tree back on the item.

Christmas Eve Services- We will have two services this year. The first one, at 4pm, will be family friendly, multi-sensory, and interactive.  Worship at this service will be led by our Youth Ministry Worship team and they are amazing!  So…for a fun, BUT MEANINGFUL Christmas Eve experience, join us at 4pm.  If the more traditional is your style, come to the second service at 6pm.

What God is Teaching Us:
Follow the link below to see this past Sunday’s curriculum: 
This link is no longer available

Funny Things Kids Do and Say…
On the Sunday prior to thanksgiving, we spent a lot of time talking about what we’re thankful for, and how to have an attitude of gratitude.  In doing so, we played a game with the alphabet.  Contestants had to yell out something they were thankful for that began with the randomly drawn letter of the alphabet.  They had to be quicker to yell out an answer than their opponent.  In a rush to be first, one girl- when seeing the letter “O”- yelled out, “Oprah!”