It’s that time of year again. The time when high school seniors are graduating from high school and making plans for their future. The time when my friends who are moms of those seniors start tearing up at the thought of their babies leaving home soon. The time when I give my little sermon about giving them “wings”, letting go, being thankful they are independent now…etc. Trying to convince those moms that the empty nest is really great and they will LOVE being able to come and go as they please!
Well…if you moms think that THIS season of life is difficult, JUST YOU WAIT.
Just you wait until your “baby” gets married. Just you wait until someone else is now the first one she runs to when she needs help/support/love. Just you wait until the daily phone calls and texts virtually disappear. Just you wait until you don’t know every move she makes, place she goes and friend she has. JUST YOU WAIT.
A good friend warned me that this week after the wedding was going to be tough – after the roller coaster of the wedding “high” becomes a low of “What do I do with myself NOW??” Ten months of daily conversations, weekly visits, shopping trips and therapy sessions are now over. I haven’t spoken to Alyssa in over a week and it is KILLING ME.
Yeah…she’s on her honeymoon, and yeah….it’s not about mother and daughter anymore – it’s about husband and wife. Alyssa hasn’t even lived here since she graduated from high school, so you would think I had adjusted to the ‘empty nest’ by now. But this is a whole different kind of empty nest. Now it’s like my days are blurring together, my mind has stopped spinning, my calendar is empty and I’ve given a piece of my heart away for Hayden to treasure now.
That’s OK. That’s how it’s supposed to work. That’s how God planned for her life to go. That’s why he put Hayden in her path – so now he can be her support system. He can pray with her and sooth her hurt feelings. He can help her with decisions about new jobs and new friends. He can be there “in sickness and in health.” And I KNOW he will do an excellent job of it.
So if you moms of seniors think sending them off to college in the fall is gonna be hard, JUST YOU WAIT.
