Cherishing the "Empty Spaces"

Do “Empty Spaces” scare you?

Are you so busy that you forget to leave spaces in your life to… live?

September begins the busy season for me. For my family and now for Dave and his son… our family has become a clan and that adds in events, open houses, sporting events, holidays and time spent with friends.

Our Empty Spaces… those lazy summer days and night out in the back yard sitting next to the firepit might slow down. (Oh... how I will miss thee Smore’s….)

I spent an empty space of time with my toddlers yesterday. My older children went to bed early and I was feeling a little under the weather, so dinner was served and to the front yard the three of us girls went.

What did I learn?

• The ice cream man looks like Lancelot in the eyes of a one and two year old when he hands them their own frozen treat.

• Toddlers think ice cream is to be enjoyed by almost all the senses.



• You WILL be sticky by the end of this. Legs, clothes, hair… just accept it.

Then it was bath time, time to scrub, play in bubbles and enjoy one another without being so sticky.



This is where I realized… my daughter has NO comic ability. Well… at least not stand-up…

Luckily… I’ll always be her greatest fan


I: Knock Knock
Me: Who’s there? (as I am dousing her hair with water)
I: Banana (sputtering)
Me: Banana who?
I: Chomp Chomp Yum (making her hands open and close like they are eating)

(laughter from me)

I: Knock Knock
Me: Who’s there? (Skeptical)
I: Car
Me: Car who?
I: Vroom Vroom

(Yes.. I should have seen this coming)

I: Knock Knock
Me: Who’s there?
I: Bad girl
Me: Bad girl who?
I: *Scowly face* NO! BAD!

(I had to make her stop after that… I was giggling too much to bathe them.)

What have you learned during your time of “Empty Spaces”? Open up some time… LIVE with your family… it is a wonderful feeling!

Thanks to Mary for a concept that I fell in love with, and finally had words to put to it.