This past week my husband and I had a rare 3 days home alone. The girls were both away on a three day trip with their school drama club and we had a chance to imagine life with an empty nest. It is not often that they are both gone at the same time for several days. At first we relished the quiet and the calm. We joked about our "glimpse into the future." We are best friends and know that life together once our children have launched will be wonderful. We will miss them, but we are looking forward to what our next chapter will bring.
By the third day I was reminded that I'm not ready for this chapter to be over yet though! I missed their crazy energy and their endless chatter. I missed their smiles, hugs and kisses. I missed their presence.
I haven't been inclined to write much lately ~ life has been busy with kids, work, Jeff's knee replacement the end of March, etc... I've had endless excuses not to sit down and write. I'm pretty sure the only reason I haven't actually managed to write is that this is when I pause and really think about how quickly life is moving. The next chapter is coming and I need to make sure that I'm not skimming the pages of the current one. It's too easy to just glance a page and turn it. I want to re-read some over and over again, but don't always take the time to do it.
Two months...
My middle child graduates from high school in less that 2 months. The next 2 months are full of adventures: college registration, prom, concerts, banquets, awards ceremonies etc... They will go so fast and I don't want to miss a minute.
Two months from tomorrow I will bring her to New Hampshire to our beloved Camp Calumet where she will spend the summer working as a Camp Counselor. There is no place she would rather be... except maybe the next chapter of her story ~ Luther College.
After 2 months in New Hampshire we will bring her across 1/2 the country to our beloved Decorah, IA and leave her at one of the best places in the world. We will leave her there and return home. Life will never be the same. She takes over her story and we will do our best to read along. We can't read ahead because those chapters haven't been written yet. There will be drama and grief, joy and pain, love and adventure. That's the kind of girl she is. I will be as close as a text message or a phone call, but will be too far to hold her hand. I will have to be satisfied that I will hold her heart as I have for the past 18 years.
2 months is a blink of an eye. So is 18 years.
By the third day I was reminded that I'm not ready for this chapter to be over yet though! I missed their crazy energy and their endless chatter. I missed their smiles, hugs and kisses. I missed their presence.
I haven't been inclined to write much lately ~ life has been busy with kids, work, Jeff's knee replacement the end of March, etc... I've had endless excuses not to sit down and write. I'm pretty sure the only reason I haven't actually managed to write is that this is when I pause and really think about how quickly life is moving. The next chapter is coming and I need to make sure that I'm not skimming the pages of the current one. It's too easy to just glance a page and turn it. I want to re-read some over and over again, but don't always take the time to do it.
Two months...
My middle child graduates from high school in less that 2 months. The next 2 months are full of adventures: college registration, prom, concerts, banquets, awards ceremonies etc... They will go so fast and I don't want to miss a minute.
Two months from tomorrow I will bring her to New Hampshire to our beloved Camp Calumet where she will spend the summer working as a Camp Counselor. There is no place she would rather be... except maybe the next chapter of her story ~ Luther College.
After 2 months in New Hampshire we will bring her across 1/2 the country to our beloved Decorah, IA and leave her at one of the best places in the world. We will leave her there and return home. Life will never be the same. She takes over her story and we will do our best to read along. We can't read ahead because those chapters haven't been written yet. There will be drama and grief, joy and pain, love and adventure. That's the kind of girl she is. I will be as close as a text message or a phone call, but will be too far to hold her hand. I will have to be satisfied that I will hold her heart as I have for the past 18 years.
2 months is a blink of an eye. So is 18 years.
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