“Growing Up, Up, and Away”
Yesterday I took our oldest daughter, Rosie, to the airport to fly across the country, from Pennsylvania to New Mexico, with stops in between. She went on a mission trip to share her faith and music with Navajo children and get to know people whose life experiences have been different than her own. She is 16 and quite ready for the adventure both as a Christian and musically. But am I ready for her to go?
The last few days and especially on the drive home from dropping her and others in her group off at the airport I experienced the sadness of Rosie leaving. Oh, not just this leaving because I know she will be back in eight days. But all of this reminded me that in just two years she will be off to college and life as we know it will change. Most likely we won’t be up early together reading our Bibles and praying for her day at school as we have since elementary school. That doesn’t mean I won’t be praying for her and sometimes I might even get a goodbye kiss, but things will just change.
Who knows? Maybe she will stay at home to go to college but then again she may be staying away at school as I did. My relationship with my parents certainly didn’t end when I went away to Findlay College but it did change. The daily life together ended except for vacation times and later as an adult living at home for a year with my family when I was out of work. But all of that was different than just growing up and living together with my parents and sister and brother.
And soon it will be Rosie’s turn to grow up, up, and away. In so many ways I appreciate the person she is and is becoming and I would like to just keep her here to admire her and watch her daily become the person God made her to be. But I know that part of becoming is leaving the nest and experiencing life on your own. It was such a big part of my life to be out on my own dealing with laundry and roommates and homework with no one to urge me to get it done…and appreciating the dollar or two that Mom would tuck in her letters of love to me and the poetry that Dad would send my way along with his love.
So after feeling very sad that Rosie was leaving for awhile and reminded that soon she would leave to be out on her own, I took a nap upon returning from the airport at 6:45 a.m. When I woke up I felt better. Oh, the power of a good nap. I am very fortunate in that I have a good wife who shares my feelings of upcoming loss and I have a daughter, Emily, who is home for six more years. Someday I will have to adjust for her leaving as well but for now I will just be thankful for her smiles and fun and all of these good times together with her and Rosie and my wonderful wife Diane.
And after all, Rosie will be home in a week…this time.
Yesterday I took our oldest daughter, Rosie, to the airport to fly across the country, from Pennsylvania to New Mexico, with stops in between. She went on a mission trip to share her faith and music with Navajo children and get to know people whose life experiences have been different than her own. She is 16 and quite ready for the adventure both as a Christian and musically. But am I ready for her to go?
The last few days and especially on the drive home from dropping her and others in her group off at the airport I experienced the sadness of Rosie leaving. Oh, not just this leaving because I know she will be back in eight days. But all of this reminded me that in just two years she will be off to college and life as we know it will change. Most likely we won’t be up early together reading our Bibles and praying for her day at school as we have since elementary school. That doesn’t mean I won’t be praying for her and sometimes I might even get a goodbye kiss, but things will just change.
Who knows? Maybe she will stay at home to go to college but then again she may be staying away at school as I did. My relationship with my parents certainly didn’t end when I went away to Findlay College but it did change. The daily life together ended except for vacation times and later as an adult living at home for a year with my family when I was out of work. But all of that was different than just growing up and living together with my parents and sister and brother.
And soon it will be Rosie’s turn to grow up, up, and away. In so many ways I appreciate the person she is and is becoming and I would like to just keep her here to admire her and watch her daily become the person God made her to be. But I know that part of becoming is leaving the nest and experiencing life on your own. It was such a big part of my life to be out on my own dealing with laundry and roommates and homework with no one to urge me to get it done…and appreciating the dollar or two that Mom would tuck in her letters of love to me and the poetry that Dad would send my way along with his love.
So after feeling very sad that Rosie was leaving for awhile and reminded that soon she would leave to be out on her own, I took a nap upon returning from the airport at 6:45 a.m. When I woke up I felt better. Oh, the power of a good nap. I am very fortunate in that I have a good wife who shares my feelings of upcoming loss and I have a daughter, Emily, who is home for six more years. Someday I will have to adjust for her leaving as well but for now I will just be thankful for her smiles and fun and all of these good times together with her and Rosie and my wonderful wife Diane.
And after all, Rosie will be home in a week…this time.
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