Twelve Summers
It is so good to have some form of normality back into school life. Being able to mingle with parents at the Year 3 – 6 Swimming Carnival on Tuesday was excellent. One of the parents shared with me that he had been listening to a podcast where the host was a new parent who spoke about having only twelve summers with his son. This really resonated.
As a parent, the first couple of years are incredibly important and formative however, by default, we spend them focused on the very young infant because they are so dependent on us. It is the next ‘twelve summers’ where our children are growing, maturing and learning who they are and how to ‘be’. These are incredibly important, but can be missed as we become busy growing our careers and paying our mortgages.
Sometimes it seems that our young children have very busy lives too! Each of these activities, whether they be sporting, musical, dance, drama or art-related will benefit them immensely. However, their lives can become too busy and too full. They need time just to ‘be’ and time to spend as a part of a family interacting with each other.
As I reflect on my own childhood, I feel so blessed to have had parents and, in particular, a dad who spent ‘twelve summers’ investing in me as a person. There was always time made for fun, for shared experiences, for the sharing of wisdom and much deep discussion about life. Because of this, it has always been easy for me to know God as my loving Heavenly Father who would always be interested in me and my problems. In 1 John 4:8, John reminds us that ‘God is love’. Knowing that no matter what I do, or how badly I might behave, I can’t change the fact that God is love and will always love me. He wants to have a deep relationship with me.
Many parents listened to Susan McLean on Monday 13 February, and her advice to parents on setting boundaries around cyber space for their families. If you were unable to attend, I encourage you to go to her website and watch the videos which she generously makes available. This session also reminded me of the importance of families spending quality time together over the ‘twelve summers’ that you have available to you. Time spent on devices quickly mount-up and take away from quality family connection.
As Christians, we are privileged to have an eternity of summers (and winters) with our Heavenly Father.
‘O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down and when I stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord. You go before me and you follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand! I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence! If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there. If I ride on the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me.' Psalm 139:1-10 (NLT)
What an assurance we can enjoy knowing how precious and loved we are.
My prayer is that you will all make the most of the ‘twelve summers’ that you have with your earthly children. Use this time to speak into your children’s lives and take time to laugh and enjoy life together.
Finally, back to the Swimming Carnival which, despite being a bit warm, was a great success. Many thanks to Daryl Porter and the PE staff for organising this event, which was well-balanced, to allow our swimmers to shine competitively and all students to enjoy accessible activities in the pool. Our 2023 winning house was Topaz.