Letting Go

Once, when the girls were young and I was idealistic, I remember having said that I'd only want to homeschool if I were able to afford to travel with them, to show them the world. As time went on, and despite a lack of schedules determined by school officials, we've developed our own calendars, activities, and a menagerie of animals that prohibited being gone for periods of time. We've done some smaller trips, to Florida, to Texas, and our annual jaunt to the family reunion in North Carolina.

As the girls have gotten older, however, they're getting opportunitites to travel through their horse riding competitons. I was the one that was supposed to show them the world! Last year, Lauren went to Germany. She returned from Nashville last weekend, and Anna is off to Ontario, Canada today. Lauren thinks a trip to New Zealand is in her future.

I am happy that they have these opportunities, but I will admit it is difficult to send them off to another country with other people, friends though they be. But they are getting older, and it's time to let go, and trust that they can handle themselves in the larger world.

Supervised that is. In their grown up bodies, I still see glimpses now and again of the child they still carry with them. Last week, I had left the van up at the barn, and needed to drive it down to the house. I asked Lauren if she'd like to go get it and drive it down. "YES!" she said immediately, and then, dh and I smile as we saw her happily skip like a five year old up the driveway. I hang on to moments like that. The time is fleeting, and sooner than I'd like they'll be off on their own lives. For now though, I know they'll take these trips, but they'll come back home.