Well, it finally happened. It’s a new horizon.
Baby bird flew the nest.
Last Friday, we packed up both vehicles and trekked a little farther south to our daughter’s home away from home for the next four years. (Just saying that seems surreal.)
Despite the sweltering ninety-seven degree temperature and some good, ol’ Ozarks humidity thrown in, we tackled this life change as we might others—with resolve and a whole lot of prayer. Except this was harder. This was new, uncharted territory. Territory that came too soon and without apology.
Our last child was leaving home. For a good reason, yes.
But still—my heart ached.
As we entered campus, signs and greeters directed us where to go. College kids in bright orange tee shirts smiled and offered help unloading our back seats and trunks.
In a twenty-minute flash, they toted bins, boxes, and bags of dorm room essentials up two flights of stairs and deposited them in our daughter’s new dorm room. The kids even hauled away some of the trash and boxes for us.
The move-in process went off without a hitch and was made easier by the upperclassmen’s friendliness and help. What could have been an exhausting, tumultuous time turned out to be a wonderful experience. It was still hotter’n a firecracker, but pleasant attitudes kept things light and fun.
The college invited parents to dine with their kids in the campus dining hall, and that, too, was a lovely surprise. More like a homey restaurant than your typical school setting, there were multiple food stations available with everything from A to Z…plus a fruit bar plus a dessert area with cookies, ice cream, and other treats. (Score!) And this wasn’t a one-time thing either. This is the order of the day every day at this college.
Since the students work for their education (tuition) at this college, students—with the direction of adult supervisors—prepare and serve the food, as well as clean and wash dishes. The campus dining hall is only one of many areas that students work.
After lunch, while our daughter finished unpacking and arranging her belongings, my husband and I attended parent orientation. Afterward, there were some other things to do.
The time for “see you laters” (we don’t do “good-byes”) came too soon.
“I love you, Mama. Love you, Daddy.” Our girl leaned in for last-minute hugs.
Oh, my.
I’d prepared myself.
I didn’t cry. But…ohh how I wanted to!
Our daughter smiled, squared her shoulders, and turned to walk toward her dorm.
Her dorm.
I wilted inside. Not from the humidity, but from that indescribable emotion that comes from deep within a mama’s heart as her baby steps farther from view into a bright, new world. A world I’m not part of on a daily basis anymore.
It doesn’t seem possible that she’s gone…and yet, her empty chair at the dinner table serves as an ever-present reminder that our daughter’s in a new place—a place of transition. A new horizon—scary, yet thrilling and bursting with promise.
It’s a time of adjustment for my husband and me, too.
For mamas and daddies who’ve experienced the empty nest, you well understand.
Some habits linger and some we let go of.
There’s the feeling of a missing link, but one we know we’re still connected to.
In time, we’ll adjust, but right now it’s a day-by-day process and one that’s bittersweet.
As I said on Facebook recently, we’re blessed. And I’ll continue to rejoice in blessings—both big and small.
My husband’s off-to-work kiss rates a (big) winner. 🙂
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See you back on Friday for a brief pre-ACFW post!
Much Love and Many Blessings,
