Our one and only child went to Florida this year with a friends family, and thus started our first "empty nest" experiment. She will be gone for 12 days, let's just take a moment to let that sink in....12 days....two days short of a fortnight.
When we agreed to the trip it was a week, Friday to Friday, and I thought "We can do that, no problem." But then the details started trickling in and they would need drive time and the days got longer. Twelve days is a long time.
Our girl goes to sleep-away camp every summer and that is a week, so I did have a base of separation to know what I could manage. When she goes to camp we are completely cut off as they don't allow cell phones. We drop her off and come back at the end of the week to see if she is still alive. I live through it every year.
This time I knew she could call us, video message us, text us, Facebook us and that would make it easier.She has done all that, and we talk to her several times a day. She calls with giggly stories, we got a video of the room and we get excited texts about finding just the right hoodie at Ron Jon.
But it's not the same.....
I miss her sounds. I miss her strolling into the kitchen while I am making dinner to talk to me. I miss her asking me what there is to eat. I miss her laugh. I miss her sweet face in the morning when I should be going in to wake her up. I miss telling her to do something and having a discussion about if I want her to "Do it right now?' Who would have thought that fourteen years ago my life would change so much. I can't imagine what we would be without her. She has made both of us better people. Her time is coming to go out and use what we have taught her to make a life of her own. I am not looking forward to it.
I know she is having fun and I am glad, but I can see the future now, a time when we don't have her here to make us laugh and feel secure that she is okay and it is not as golden as one would think...
