A Time to Fly

At 7:55 AM this morning, I dropped my oldest daughter off at the doors of the High School for freshman orientation. She stepped out of the car, no longer a little girl, but a woman. Sure, the transition was gradual over the years, but something about this morning just felt different. Like a slide show in fast motion I remembered the first time I saw her on the day she was born, her first coos, her first steps, her first words. I remembered her first day of preschool, dressed in the pretty little yellow dress, and her first day of kindergarten, along with a thousand other snap shots of her life. And now – another first. There are likely to be many more to follow. But this was a big first for her (and for me) today.

I prayed for her on the way to school, like I always do with the children. I wanted to say so much, but there wasn’t time now. I wanted to tell her to be kind, be friendly, be wise, smile, and be careful. But I held back (at least for the most part), and instead, as she went to open the door, I said, “I’m proud of you, honey. You are a terrific person. You’re going to do great. I believe in you.”

And as the door closed, and she walked in to school, I thought, “Did I teach her enough, Lord? Is she ready? Did I spend enough time playing with her, teaching her, balancing love and discipline in her life? I pray that she will be wise and understanding. I pray that she will be confident in who You created her to be, and yet humble and considerate. Please help her to be courageous and yet gentle. Help her to be aware of others needs, but also strong enough to stand up for what is right. Help her to be compassionate, a leader, a tender spirited and strong -- a light in a crazy world.”

I felt a sense of peace that I did what I could do over the year, trying my best and trusting the Lord along the way. I have not done it perfectly, but I hope that she has learned by my strengths and my failures; I am sure she will need to learn from her own, as well.

I wanted to text her at 8:06 AM and say “How’s it going?”, but I didn’t, once again, I held back. It was time for her to fly.