So I am sitting here at my computer in the kitchen and Kristin is sitting on the couch. We are waiting for her grandmother to come and stay with Korie so we can pick up Steve and take Kristin back to school. It is kind of weird just sitting around waiting....waiting for a moment that I have dreaded all the way back from May, when she came home after a long 9 months away from us for the first time.
This separation stuff stinks! Only yesterday it seemed so far away that it was ridiculous to even think about. I remember thinking as she went to middle school that we still had years ahead. But I did start realizing when she got to high school that the time goes fast as I watched the girls that Steve coach move through the varsity teams so quickly...as I watched the youngest players become the leaders and the swing players become the captains and we watched them graduate and wondered where the time had gone.
Then it was our turn. The ball seasons changed like trees did in their seasons and soon I was watching her go from the swing player to leader of the teams and I watched her go on her senior trip and graduate....and then it was time for her to go....I have friends who's children struggled with leaving and cried not wanting to go back to college and so I am thankful that Kristin loves school and being in Lynchburg. In some ways, it really hurts that she is so ready to go back to her life at LU and in other ways, I am proud of her and excited for her.
So....as I write this...more time has passed and we will soon put the last few items in the van, we'll kiss Korie goodbye and start driving away from the coast. We will be in our normal "travel" mode, with Steve listening to the radio and Kristin sleeping and me reading but all of us know this isn't the normal trip. In a few short hours, we will drag all her stuff up 3 flights of stairs, watch her hug her friends that she has missed, texted and facebooked all summer and Steve and I will put smiles on our faces and act like everything is just fine. When it is time to say goodbye, we will know she is happy to go off and catch up with everyone, and we will be happy for her as we try to hide the tears and start the long trip home alone....there will be some tears and sighs but deep down, we are happy she is taking this next step, thrilled to leave her in a place like Liberty, excited to see her grow in Christ, ready to pray her through every day and already looking forward to fall break...which is six weeks and five days away......
This separation stuff stinks! Only yesterday it seemed so far away that it was ridiculous to even think about. I remember thinking as she went to middle school that we still had years ahead. But I did start realizing when she got to high school that the time goes fast as I watched the girls that Steve coach move through the varsity teams so quickly...as I watched the youngest players become the leaders and the swing players become the captains and we watched them graduate and wondered where the time had gone.
Then it was our turn. The ball seasons changed like trees did in their seasons and soon I was watching her go from the swing player to leader of the teams and I watched her go on her senior trip and graduate....and then it was time for her to go....I have friends who's children struggled with leaving and cried not wanting to go back to college and so I am thankful that Kristin loves school and being in Lynchburg. In some ways, it really hurts that she is so ready to go back to her life at LU and in other ways, I am proud of her and excited for her.
So....as I write this...more time has passed and we will soon put the last few items in the van, we'll kiss Korie goodbye and start driving away from the coast. We will be in our normal "travel" mode, with Steve listening to the radio and Kristin sleeping and me reading but all of us know this isn't the normal trip. In a few short hours, we will drag all her stuff up 3 flights of stairs, watch her hug her friends that she has missed, texted and facebooked all summer and Steve and I will put smiles on our faces and act like everything is just fine. When it is time to say goodbye, we will know she is happy to go off and catch up with everyone, and we will be happy for her as we try to hide the tears and start the long trip home alone....there will be some tears and sighs but deep down, we are happy she is taking this next step, thrilled to leave her in a place like Liberty, excited to see her grow in Christ, ready to pray her through every day and already looking forward to fall break...which is six weeks and five days away......
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