Rhythm
Lydia decided that she wanted to be on the JV volleyball team this year and thus far she has really enjoyed it. Both Amy and I were glad when Lydia decided she wanted to try this. Playing volleyball is something totally new for her and so it was a little out of Lydia’s comfort zone to go and try out for the team. But those are good experiences we thought. It is good to be willing to try something new. It’s good to learn to be a part of a team. It is good to learn some new skills. We were happy for Lydia when she made the team and we feel her excitement when she comes home and talks about what they did at practice. On the other hand, it was about 9:00 pm when we got home from the volleyball game last night that was in Louisa. Lydia has got another away game today. I’m expecting another late night. I’ve plugged all 20 games into my calendar and I plan to try and go to as many as possible. I want to support and encourage Lydia in the interests she has. I’m glad to be able to go cheer for Lydia and to cheer on the team, but I’m also used to being home and ready for bed by 9:00. All our family is. We are not late night people. No, by 8:30 we are usually settling down and have our pajamas on. This new schedule will be different for all of us. I realized this even more last night as I was rushing Sophia around trying to get her ready for bed. This new faster rhythm Lydia has brought to our family is going to shake up the routine and slower rhythm with which we usually operate. We’ve talked to Lydia about scheduling her time and that she’ll need to be more disciplined. Homework still needs to be done, she needs to make time for practicing piano and her room can’t turn into a disaster area. It is the same for Amy, Sophia and me. Although we’ve added another event to our lives we’ll still need to be at work and school on time, laundry still needs to get done, lunches still need to be packed. We’ll all need to be more disciplined and more aware of how we use our time. There are certain rhythms in our life though that we will not change; Monday evening, Friday evening and Sunday evening we have family dinners together. Sunday morning worship and Sunday school, Thursday evening Bible study. Those events are what ground us together as family, and they are what ground our lives in God. Those events – they slow us down and are the base rhythm that remind of us of who and whose we are. They remind us again of the real priority in our lives and although we may be rushing about with lots of activity, those events help create a firm foundation holding us together. I’m getting ready to go to the game now. I hope it doesn’t go too late. But Friday evening and Sunday morning are coming and I can’t wait!
