Sharing The Love

Let me share my experience of taking my youngest to college………..and leaving her there! Leading up to the trip, I had so many emotions.  I was so excited for her and her new life. I was sad for me as she was leaving my every day life.  I didn’t talk much about all this because it was too difficult to discuss. Just writing in my journal the day of the flight about the upcoming events filled my eyes with tears, and my heart with an ache so huge it would be impossible to maintain.  

As we sat on the plane, I chose to simply close my eyes and pray, continuously for the duration of the flight.  My daughter was reading and listening to music.  She was excited this day had come and looking forward to seeing the city and school for the first time!

My desire was to make this adventure a joyful one, no matter how hard that would be. As parents, we know this day is inevitable. We have our babies, raise them, teach them that they can be anything they want, tell them to seek God first on every decision and follow Him.  However, I always thought that God would change His mind! He’d say something like, “never mind, I want your child to stay right next to you”! No mind changing of that sort has ever occurred!! As our children seek God and follow through, they are obeying His will for their lives.  Isn’t that what we taught them?

So here is where our faith meets practical application.  

I continued to pray.  Peace enveloped me and I was able to then be wholly present for my daughter and the beginning of her new life.  There was also an enormous amount of healing in the following day, when we arrived at the school.  You see, I was not able to take my boys to college because of circumstances that did not allow the time.  So their Dad took them and they were okay with that.  They settled in very well. Not me. I had the hardest time and it took me many months before I felt okay without them in my home.  

The healing power to move my daughter to her new place, and see where she’d be living, to meet and spend time with her roommates and learn all about the city, had given me the ability to leave her well adjusted!

It is still a process, no doubt. 

Moving forward has become easier. The power of prayer gave me the peace I needed.

Giving God all the glory.