Tuesday, January 11, 2011

The View From My Front Door

Red sky

“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!”

6 comments:

  1. I have a feeling that Amy will always turn back and wave goodbye with love, no matter who's there to see. What a sweet morning routine you have :)

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  2. Thanks Joanne, being a mom can be so bittersweet, but I wouldn't change a thing:)
    Thank you for all of your wonderful comments too-I really, really appreciate it!

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  3. Oh Valerie, this brought a lump to my throat. My daughter is nearing middle school age (next year) and her maturity is really starting to show. I can no longer give her kisses in public...but I can live with that as long as I can give her a kiss at home!

    It's so incredibly tough to be a parent. But I still love it!

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  4. I know exactly what you mean Melissa. My daughter is 15,and these years are so important-they need us as much-if not more than when they were little, but I think we are doing our jobs as mothers well!

    Thanks for all your comments too-I appreciate them so much!!

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  5. What a touching post. The bond between a mother and a daughter is so precious.

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  6. Thanks Tina. That is so true. Amy has truly taught me the meaning of unconditional love.

    And thank you for the comments you leave on my blog-they mean a lot!

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