03 August, 2019
Essays on Faith
Growing
Pains as Summer Wanes
By Peggy Toney Horton
Ah, sweet summer! For those who love it,
the sensation that it’s waning is not a happy one. July disappeared like smoke
in the wind and we are now into August, the last month of summer in the
northern hemisphere.
Most people totally enjoy the summer
months. They travel to the most popular beaches to worship the sun, eat fresh
seafood and enjoy numerous activities that spell summer pleasure. But I can’t
help wondering if some dislike it as I do and just go along so they won’t
appear “different.”
It’s what I call forced merriment!
As for me, I’d be perfectly happy if we
had only three seasons: spring, fall and winter. But God didn’t put me in
charge of the weather so I’ve learned to endure whatever He sends and wait
patiently as I only dream of cooler days, colorful foliage, cloudless blue
skies, pumpkins and gourds and scarecrows and haystacks.
The countdown to a new school year has
already begun. Cooler weather and Halloween are just around the corner. The
mere thought triggers a familiar stirring inside me. But, with temperatures
lingering in the high eighties and low nineties, some aren’t thinking ahead, as
I am, but are still busy squeezing the last drop of joy from the remaining days
of summer.
My twelve-year-old granddaughter got into
a little mischief today. She and a friend thought it would be refreshing to
jump off a boat dock and take a dip in the Kanawha River. It was only the two
of them, with no adult anywhere within hearing distance... but somehow; her
mother discovered what she’d done, which resulted in Jennie losing some
privileges during her last precious weeks of freedom. Not only did her mother
feel she’d done something dangerous, but also, she was concerned because the
river is known to be full of chemicals, which could be harmful.
Just as God sometimes allows adversity to
come upon his children in order to get their undivided attention and urge them
to spend more time with Him, a mother knows when she must discipline her
children for their own good. She may not say it, but many times, she feels
deeply the well-known expression, “This is going to hurt me more than it does
you.” However, a Godly mother understands that if there are no consequences for
bad behavior, nothing will be learned.
And she does what’s best for her child.
Twelve-year-olds are special! Not babies
anymore, they’re always prepared to assert that fact, but they are, by no
means, capable of making wise decisions. Fortunately, God loves children and
watches over them. I fear that many would not survive if it weren’t for His
loving guidance.
I remember things I did at Jennie’s age
that I shouldn’t have. Some – my parents never knew, yet I have wonderful
memories of my childhood and early teens.
In the small town where I grew up, there
was a mountain that had to be climbed. It was an unspoken dare! You were
considered a coward if you didn’t climb it by the time you were thirteen or
fourteen years old. It took a couple of hours to get to the top, tramping
through a densely wooded area – some of it very steep. One wrong step resulted
in a downward slide for yards before you could stop and gingerly climb back up
again. When you finally reached the top, you were standing on a huge rock cliff
from where you could see the whole town. It was a beautiful sight, but strictly
natural. There were no fences or railings of any kind to keep you from falling,
which would have been fatal.
My parents surely would have had heart
failure if they’d known I was ever on that mountain.
Like Jennie, I couldn’t stay away from
the river. It didn’t matter how many times I was threatened or punished, I kept
going, certain my parents would never know. The lure of the river was ever so
much more powerful than the threat of punishment.
I
climbed trees - although forbidden, ventured farther from home than my parents
permitted and fought with anyone who dared disagree with me. Someone’s mother
constantly phoned mine to report something I’d done to her daughter or son. I
was punished. A lot.
Nevertheless, under the guidance of
God’s loving hands, I grew up fairly well adjusted.
I believe Jennie will, too.
She reminds me of myself at her age.
It’ll be interesting - and a little painful - to watch her grow and learn her
lessons the hard way, as I did. Hopefully, she, too, will look back one day and
remember these days with fondness.
Childhood is the most beautiful of all
life's seasons!
Peggy Toney Horton lives in Nitro and can be reached at pegylu@suddenlink.net
©Charleston Sunday Gazette Mail- 03 August, 2019
Love this Peggy ❤️
ReplyDelete