This is in no way related to my recent “flying away” post.  But there does seem to be a bird theme happening.

{Isn’t this beauful?  It is by www.cutarts.com}

We have always been an us.

On July 23, 1981, we became a family.  Me + Dave + Tara.  And we started adding to our collection.  We were avid collectors, apparently, for we added 4 more in less than 4 years.  By the time of our 5th anniversay we were 7.  Me + Dave + Tara + Stephanie + Tredessa + Rocky + Stormie.  A full, loud, happy nest, a family!

The numbers have changed over the years,  especially as kids turned into high schoolers and then college students and started getting married, and they have gone up and down, then slightly up again and even had a few cousins sprinkled in here or there and children of the faith added to the mix.  But the house, the us, has always had other people besides me and Dave breathing in some adjoining room, or another.

Stormie bought her own, first house yesterday, signed the final papers. 

And just like that, pouf!  Our nest is empty.

This was the goal, right?  This is why we taught them to tie their own shoes, be good citizens and get out there to fulfill their destiny for God in their generation.  We were populating the earth with godly seed, right?  Making sure to produce history-making, Holy-Spirit-filled sons and daughters, prophesying, praying, singing and worshipping, spiritual activists and icnonclasts for Jesus?  Wasn’t this the very goal of it all?

Stormie at her new house, images from www.maydae.com

She will sleep in her new house tomorrow night for the first time (today painting and polishing and preparing for the moving van tomorrow, all exciting rites of passage).  It is a sunny spring day and I am here, at home, on the couch and I can hear the distinct tick-tocking of various clocks throughout our home (I also, apparently, collect clocks) and they seem louder now.  They seem to fill a bigger quiet than before, understanding the expanded space they will now inhabit.  Children on the next block, rambunctiously enjoying spring break echo exactly the sounds of my own little ones – wasn’t it just yesterday?

We’ve spent 30 years building this nest for these people.  And now they are building their own.

And it is good.  And it is God.

And we have always been will always be an us.

Dave + me.  And all the storage and space I always thought I needed….and the mutt.

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NOTE TO KIDS:  Dad says to call if you’re coming over in case one or more of us is naked.  Yes.  He really did say that.