Angie slumped in her seat at the kitchen table, staring at the wall. It was quiet. Too quiet.

           “You OK?”

           Angie glanced up to find Tim studying her.

           “Yeah. Just having a cup of coffee.”

            Tim raised his eyebrows. “You haven’t moved in thirty minutes. I’m sure your coffee is ice cold by now.”

             Angie lifted the mug and took a sip. She grimaced. “You’re right.”

             “Is it the kids?”

             Tears threatened, but Angie blinked them back. She would not cry. “It’s just so quiet around here without them.”

            Tim moved closer and squeezed her shoulders. “I know. I miss them, too. But we’ll visit them for family weekend.”

            “That’s not for a month. We’ve never been apart that long.”

            “They’ll be fine. You saw how excited Joanna was, meeting all the other girls in the dorm. And Jason was the same way with the guys on the soccer team. They’re having great life experiences in college.”

            “But what about me? I’m here all alone now.”

            “You’ve got me.”

            “You have to leave for work soon.”

            Tim nodded. “You’re right. But you know what? I’m here now. It’s a beautiful morning. Let’s go for a walk.”

            “Are you sure?”

            “Absolutely. I don’t have any clients until 9:30. Get your shoes.”

            Angie laced up her walking shoes and joined her husband. They strolled, hand in hand, down the sidewalk. Tim stopped suddenly and pointed. “Look.”

            Angie followed his finger. There, up in the pine tree in the neighbor’s front yard, was a goldfinch nest. The bright yellow and black male sat perched next to the grayish female, feeding seeds to the baby birds. One by one, the babies took off and soared in the air, making short flights before returning to the nest.

            “See that? The babies are taking off. Just like our babies.”

            Angie watched, her eyes wide. “Wow. I’ve never seen birds learn to fly before.”

            “You wouldn’t want the birds to stay grounded in the nest, just like you wouldn’t want our kids stuck at home. They need to spread their wings, just like these birds do.”

            “I bet the mama bird is nervous, watching them try to fly for the first time.”
             Tim squeezed her hand. “Maybe, but I bet she’s proud, too.”

             Angie sighed. “I am proud of our kids. I just miss them.”

             “God gives us all different seasons in our lives for a reason. You wouldn’t have wanted them to stay infants or toddlers or emotional teenagers forever.”

             Angie shuddered. “No. We had some rough times along the way.”

             “Exactly. And now God has us in a different season.”

              “The lonely season.”

               “No, the season where you get to watch your children soar.” They resumed their walk. “What do you wish you had time to do?”

               Angie was silent for a moment, considering Tim’s question. “I’d like to clear out the basement and organize the photos. I’d like to attend a women’s Bible study at church, and help out at the local food bank.”

               Tim squeezed her hand again. “Guess what? Now that you’re not making dinner for four people every night, doing laundry and dishes for four people, or sitting up at night listening to Joanna’s boy problems or helping Jason with his math homework, you have time to do all those things.”

               Angie stopped in her tracks. “I never thought of it that way. All I considered was what I was losing. I never thought about what I’d be gaining. You’re a pretty smart guy, you know that?”

               Tim grinned. “And remember. You’re never alone. Even when I’m working late, God is always with you.”

                Angie smiled, a peace filling her soul unlike what she’d been feeling the past few weeks, as she’d been dreading this time. Maybe her nest wasn’t so empty after all. 

Deuteronomy 31:8

The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. 

God, thank You for always being with us. We never have to worry about being alone. And thank You for giving us different seasons in our lives. Help us when we transition from one season to the next. Help us use the time we have wisely. And please help us help others in their transitions to new seasons in their lives. In Jesus’ name, Amen.