The View From My Front Door

“Red sky in the morning, sailor take warning.”

I was all prepared to write a post today about the forecasted storm that is due to hit tonight.  When I saw the beautiful rose colored sunrise this morning-I thought of that old weather forecasting adage and opened my front door to take a picture.

But about an hour later, a scene much closer to my heart played out.

Every morning when Amy leaves for school I see her to the front door and I send her on her way with a hug and a kiss and a  “Have a good day!  See you soon!  I love you!”  We wave to each other for the first block or so, and somewhere in there I even blow a kiss to her and she blows one back to me.

This morning, at the same time  Amy was walking down the front porch steps and I was seeing her off, a big high school aged boy walked by.

And at this moment I knew what it means to know and understand and love your child enough to let them do what they need to do-and not be hurt.

Amy crossed the street and walked-never looking back for a wave or a blown kiss.  And I was completely ok with that-and in fact I would have been surprised if she had turned back.

Of all the years of being a parent, these are the hardest ones for me-because I am preparing Amy to be able to go out into the world on her own.  Her eventual ability to do that  means I will have done my job well.  (And yes, there are a lot of private tears on my part these days.)

I keep watching Amy walk this morning-pondering these many thoughts that fill my head.   And then- just when she is almost out of sight- I see her turn and wave, before she rounds the corner and is gone from my view.

“Have a good day! See you soon!  I love you!”