May 29, 2008

a piece of my heart


This is how I felt late in the day,
today.
~~~~~
My sweet daughter left this morning
driving 7 hours south
all by herself
for the first time
and
I was a bit nervous.
~~~~~
When she called
and said she was there
I said a little prayer
and did a little happy dance.
~~~~~
We talked many times
while she was driving.
I told her she was fine
when she noticed an alternate route
where there was road construction
~~~~~
She let me know
that she didn't need to do an illegal
U-turn
on the interstate
like I did
when I made the same drive
last year
~~~~~
Now
she'll be gone
for the next four weeks
and she'll be SO missed
by us
~~~~~
But
she'll also be SO loved
by the children
that she will be counseling
at camp
~~~~~
the hours and days
will fly by for her
~~~~~
while the hours
and days for me
will be every bit of four weeks
and probably feel
even longer
~~~~~

4 comments:

  1. My daughter is not old enough to drive or leave, yet. But, I know just how you feel. Isn't it funny how we are this single person for so long, and then... Once you are a mother, you are never alone really. You carry your children around in your heart and mind everywhere you go. It is a special gift. Sometimes it is a heavy load, isn't it?

    I wish for you many surprises that fill your day and make the time fly. May you have many delightful and funny stories to share with your daughter when she comes home to you.

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  2. even though Leo is many a years away from driving, I appreciate all this holds, what it means to let them go bit by bit, further and further away.
    I hope your time alone, though you will miss her, brings you unexpected pleasures.

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  3. i'm soon sending my baby girl away for 4 weeks as well to visit her cousins and grandparents. she won't be driving herself, since she's only 7, but she will be flying by herself! 8 hours across the atlantic and half a continent. i too will be doing a happy dance when i receive word that she has arrived. thank you for sharing your lovely thoughts.

    :-)
    /julie

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  4. Boy, do I understand that happy dance. We feel the same way every time our big hulking football player leaves for college eight hours away (well, eight hours for us; he tells us it's less, and that makes us nervous, too.) I know you'll have plenty of projects to keep your mind and heart occupied, but that there will be this little bit of you that's always wondering what she's doing now, how much she would like something you are experiencing... it's hard, isn't it?

    ReplyDelete

**I love reading the comments you leave, as they make me feel like we're sitting in my kitchen, having a cup of tea, discussing life and wondering where all the time has gone ...beth