The process

“The process is the thing, not the end product.”

This is profound. I need to keep this in mind when deciding what to do with my life next. My sons and daughters are blooming where they are planted, and moving to new locations like seeds navigating the stream. It will be okay; they are in God’s hands. My process is to let them go, with as much help as they need and not more; with as much prayer as I can pack into each day. And then I go on, living my life.

My life did not begin with their births. My life does not end with their leaving. The process of growing Melinda continues. There is sunshine and rain. There’s lots of wind, blowing the leaves to nourish the soil for future plants. Sometimes I am the dirt, messily holding their roots in place while they stretch. Sometimes I am the sunshine of approval or the rain of nourishment. Sometimes I am the wind, strengthening by requiring resilience—not that I want to hurt them but that rules must be enforced for my protection and their future growth—sometimes I push too hard and repent later as they nurse broken limbs and stunted hopes. God put us here together. God is all these things to me, training me how to care for His children by letting me try.

The process is the thing.