• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Blog
  • Value This Life
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
Value This Life

Value This Life

Helping you find more joy & beauty in everyday life

  • Be Happy
    • Help for a Good Attitude
    • Handling Stress
    • Perspective for Moms
    • Self-Care
      • Adrenal Fatigue
  • Manage Your Time & Life
    • How to Get Stuff Done
    • Manage Your Home
    • Paper & Digital Planning
  • Easy Family Recipes
    • Beverages
    • Cookies
    • Desserts
    • Main Dishes
    • Snacks
    • Candy/Goodies
  • Home & Family
    • Life @Our House
    • Family Celebrations
    • Homeschooling

And Then I Had a Good Cry

lamp and notebook on table

By the time you read this, chances are we’ve finished moving our daughter Gracie into the dorm at Southern Nazarene University. Yesterday was an emotional day for me. At lunchtime I rode with my husband to pick up some equipment and grab a quick burger at the drive-thru. Somewhere between the two I had a good cry.

It’s not that this is a bad thing. College is good. We’re not moving her into jail or something. It’s just that, having done this seven times before, I know what’s ahead. Things change after they go to college. They’re never truly *home* again, they visit home temporarily. So it’s the end of a season of life, a final goodbye to childhood, and an adjustment in family dynamics back at home.

Gracie is the oldest of the last “set” of children at home. We had three sets: girl-boy-girl-boy, four boys, four girls. I meant to do that. 🙂 So something about the beginning of the end makes her departure especially emotional.

I meant to write a nice blog post about all of this but it’s a little too raw yet. Instead I’m sending you this little update and then going back to standing in line at the financial aid office, hanging curtains, and making trips to WalMart for stuff we forgot. Tonight is a parent dinner and candlelight ceremony on the campus mall, tomorrow parent seminars, and Sunday the dedication service and alumni luncheon. Then, at 2:00 on Sunday afternoon, it’s goodbye. To a lot of things. Many of you have been blog readers since Gracie was a middle schooler. She was about 10 years old when I began the blog, and she and I and the blog have all been through a lot of changes since then!

Thanks for listening….back to our regularly scheduled blog post next week. Meanwhile, have a really great weekend!

With love,

Charlotte Siems

You Might Also Like:

  • Overcoming a Hard Childhood: My Story, Part 1Overcoming a Hard Childhood: My Story, Part 1
  • 5 Things I Wish I’d Known as a Young Mom5 Things I Wish I’d Known as a Young Mom
  • Quick Fix for an Overwhelmed MomQuick Fix for an Overwhelmed Mom
  • Easy Bathroom UpdateEasy Bathroom Update

About Charlotte

I'm a grateful wife & mom of 12 amazing persons. I love to inspire & teach busy women to find beauty in everyday life by caring for themselves, creating comfortable homes with their families and living out ordinary days with grace and gratitude. I'd love to encourage YOU!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Angela says

    August 19, 2016 at 9:47 am

    Thank you for writing about this time in your life. So many blogs are about babies and toddlers, and since I am beyond that phase I appreciate your story as I look toward my own children growing up and moving out. My oldest starts home school sixth grade this year, and my youngest kindergarten. One of my joys from home school is being with my children almost all. the. time. My peers who send their children to school advise me that I will have to learn to let go sooner or later. Obviously, I choose later! I need stories about families making the transition from home to college, so I can learn to look forward to that chapter. So, thank you.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.

Primary Sidebar

Hello & Welcome!

I'm a grateful wife & mom of 12 amazing persons. I love to inspire & teach busy women to find beauty in everyday life by caring for themselves, creating comfortable homes with their families and living out ordinary days with grace and gratitude. I'd love to encourage YOU! Read More…

Looking for Something?

Looking For Your Tribe?

Find Me on Facebook

valuethislife

valuethislife
Have you ever procrastinated about doing something Have you ever procrastinated about doing something, with thoughts of dread and overwhelm?😬And then done the thing,  finding that it was easier and faster to get done than you thought it would be?🥴Yeah, me too. Note to self: The dreading and putting off costs a whole lot more emotional energy than just doing the thing. 😊
In our busy ordinary lives there is a tendency to In our busy ordinary lives there is a tendency to get by with the barebones of running the household—but we skip the joy, comfort and encouragement part.   We trade an artful arrangement of beautiful things on the coffee table for a stack of newspapers and mail. The TV takes the place of a board game. Irritation with our family flavors our speech.   Sometimes this happens so slowly that we barely notice it, and then one day we realize that our home life is out of sorts.  With that realization comes the choice to fix those little things. Tidy up the clutter, get the laundry caught up, read aloud to children, and set a pretty table for an ordinary supper.  Look around your home with fresh eyes to see if it needs a reset. Even 20 minutes of tidying can make an amazing difference.❤️
Unexpected October ice storm in Oklahoma. Power ha Unexpected October ice storm in Oklahoma. Power has been out for 2+ days, grateful for a generator and hot water. I figured out that complaining doesn’t make electricity come back on. 😊
Always wanted a “mother’s ring” with birthst Always wanted a “mother’s ring” with birthstones of our children but we never found a design with 12 stones. 💍 It was a forgotten wish until I received this bracelet as a sweet gift. I can rattle off their birthdates like a boss but sometimes the size of our family still surprises me. It grew one baby at a time and I grew along with them, like all mothers do. There’s no rewind button, and we can’t go back and have a do-over. But we can be grateful during EVERY season for what we have, and I am!❤️
“They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.” Not “they that complaineth much” or “they that talk about their issues all day long.” I’m guessing that “not waiting” means sucking the life out of strength instead of renewing it. But waiting can begin in this very moment. 
•
(pic from my kitchen window)😊
Sometimes it’s a struggle getting started on a t Sometimes it’s a struggle getting started on a task, but we all love how it feels when the task is done. Maybe it would help to think about how good the result will feel before we start!
Yeah, I had to run to the store to get eggs before Yeah, I had to run to the store to get eggs before 14yo could mix up cookie dough. 
👉🏻Note to self:
Don’t wait until it’s time to do a task to check whether you have what you need to do it. Realizing you’re short on supplies or information at the last minute costs time and causes stress! Knowing that you’re prepared eases the pain of getting started. Put “check for ingredients” on your to-do list!
How much life do we waste worrying and fretting an How much life do we waste worrying and fretting and dreading....when the thing we’re upset about IS GOING TO GET DONE?! It’s going to happen, it’s all going to work out, and we probably won’t even remember it by next week. Sometimes it helps to remember that!💕
We bought a house built in the 80’s and have bee We bought a house built in the 80’s and have been doing that fixer upper thing. Sorry for the blurry “before” but just think “black hole” and you’ll get the idea.😂 Amazing what paint and decor can do for a space. Sold the old mantel on FB Marketplace for $60 and bought the unfinished new one for $45. Found the print in my garage, lol. Mirror from Hobby Lobby. Sorta reminds me of my life pre-Jesus. Dark to light. Old to new. Same basic human, transformed with light and love.❤️
Follow on Instagram

More From the Blog

  • Yummy Coffee Slush Recipe
  • Perspective for Moms: The Last Time
  • How to Have a Good Day

Looking For Something?

valuethislife

valuethislife
Have you ever procrastinated about doing something Have you ever procrastinated about doing something, with thoughts of dread and overwhelm?😬And then done the thing,  finding that it was easier and faster to get done than you thought it would be?🥴Yeah, me too. Note to self: The dreading and putting off costs a whole lot more emotional energy than just doing the thing. 😊
In our busy ordinary lives there is a tendency to In our busy ordinary lives there is a tendency to get by with the barebones of running the household—but we skip the joy, comfort and encouragement part.   We trade an artful arrangement of beautiful things on the coffee table for a stack of newspapers and mail. The TV takes the place of a board game. Irritation with our family flavors our speech.   Sometimes this happens so slowly that we barely notice it, and then one day we realize that our home life is out of sorts.  With that realization comes the choice to fix those little things. Tidy up the clutter, get the laundry caught up, read aloud to children, and set a pretty table for an ordinary supper.  Look around your home with fresh eyes to see if it needs a reset. Even 20 minutes of tidying can make an amazing difference.❤️
Unexpected October ice storm in Oklahoma. Power ha Unexpected October ice storm in Oklahoma. Power has been out for 2+ days, grateful for a generator and hot water. I figured out that complaining doesn’t make electricity come back on. 😊
Always wanted a “mother’s ring” with birthst Always wanted a “mother’s ring” with birthstones of our children but we never found a design with 12 stones. 💍 It was a forgotten wish until I received this bracelet as a sweet gift. I can rattle off their birthdates like a boss but sometimes the size of our family still surprises me. It grew one baby at a time and I grew along with them, like all mothers do. There’s no rewind button, and we can’t go back and have a do-over. But we can be grateful during EVERY season for what we have, and I am!❤️
“They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.” Not “they that complaineth much” or “they that talk about their issues all day long.” I’m guessing that “not waiting” means sucking the life out of strength instead of renewing it. But waiting can begin in this very moment. 
•
(pic from my kitchen window)😊
Sometimes it’s a struggle getting started on a t Sometimes it’s a struggle getting started on a task, but we all love how it feels when the task is done. Maybe it would help to think about how good the result will feel before we start!
Yeah, I had to run to the store to get eggs before Yeah, I had to run to the store to get eggs before 14yo could mix up cookie dough. 
👉🏻Note to self:
Don’t wait until it’s time to do a task to check whether you have what you need to do it. Realizing you’re short on supplies or information at the last minute costs time and causes stress! Knowing that you’re prepared eases the pain of getting started. Put “check for ingredients” on your to-do list!
How much life do we waste worrying and fretting an How much life do we waste worrying and fretting and dreading....when the thing we’re upset about IS GOING TO GET DONE?! It’s going to happen, it’s all going to work out, and we probably won’t even remember it by next week. Sometimes it helps to remember that!💕
We bought a house built in the 80’s and have bee We bought a house built in the 80’s and have been doing that fixer upper thing. Sorry for the blurry “before” but just think “black hole” and you’ll get the idea.😂 Amazing what paint and decor can do for a space. Sold the old mantel on FB Marketplace for $60 and bought the unfinished new one for $45. Found the print in my garage, lol. Mirror from Hobby Lobby. Sorta reminds me of my life pre-Jesus. Dark to light. Old to new. Same basic human, transformed with light and love.❤️
Follow on Instagram
Value This Life
Value This Life | Charlotte Siems © 2021