A thrill of hope: People of God

Recently, I achieved a milestone. Twenty years of service as a mother! As all parents know, these days are often long.  I’ve worried about our children’s education, their health and their future. I’ve worried that my kids don’t read enough, don’t practice piano enough, and fight with each other too much. I’ve sympathized when they fret about their future or have their hearts broken. The emotional toll can be exhausting.

But the years are short and suddenly some of my children are young adults. Relationships between the siblings have changed as they mature. They have become friends and hold each other’s secrets (even from me). I see them working diligently on their studies without my direct supervision. I see they have developed a love of music and sometimes play piano purely for enjoyment. I watch as they seek to grow in their relationship with God and the church.

I still think they don’t read enough. But I’m filled with the thrill of hope that the long, arduous, and sometimes thankless days we put in as parents do make positive contributions to the development of young adults. I’m filled with the thrill of hope that my children are becoming people I admire and respect. I’m filled with the thrill of hope that they will be people of character, virtue and strength in ways I didn’t even imagine. I’m filled with the thrill of hope that they will be people of God.

Molly Palmer and her husband, Cal, are the parents of four daughters ranging in age from 12 to 20. Molly practices law in Galesburg, Illinois, concentrating in the areas of estate planning and administration.