I'm glad I went to Barb's blog before starting to write today. I finally came up with an idea, but now I can save it for tomorrow and give my little brain a rest.

My first choice for the name for my Blog was actually Seventh Inning Stretch. However, I had such problems getting it going I had to change the name in order to get things started. So...Middle Years.

I'm trying to convey the same idea I had with both names. It is the time of life my husband and I are in right now. For us it is the time between the empty nest and REALLY old age. It is a very nice time - a kind of respite. That's not to say there haven't been difficulties - there certainly have. We've had to face some very trying times in recent months.

Although we are not strictly retirement age, my husband has been retired because of medical problems for the past twenty years. We made (or more acurately I made) the adjustment to having him home full-time while our kids were still fairly young. We somehow made it thorough those challenging teen years and college, and now they are all grown and gone.

My parents are in their eighties, but they are in good health both mentally and physically. They live in a little apartment we added to the back of our house. It has worked out well because they are still independent.

So...once you get used to having the chicks all gone (and it is hard at first) - you discover that it's got some definite pluses!! It's such fun to just decide to take the day and do something you just feel like doing (it isn't even necessary!); to go out to lunch or to a matinee or just for a drive. We can do volunteer work at church, or take a morning Bible Study without having to worry about who will watch the kids.

Being Grandparents is all everyone has ever said it was - pure joy! It is all the fun and none of the hard work. It is amazing how much easier it is to "raise" grandchildren. Hey - it's not my responsibility to discipline them, I'm just here to love them to pieces.

I think one of greatest joys at this particular time of life is to see the amazing adults your children have grown up to be - in spite of all the mistakes that still keep me awake at night with feelings of regret. To know they all love the Lord is a treasure money can't buy.

All of that to say - these are the middle years of my life and God is good.

Blessings,
Linda

PS I apologize for not linking to Barb's site. I still don't know how to do it :-)