It's Time.....

And They're Off............... This is dedicated to my many friends who are watching their children leave for college. Right or wrong you have done your job. You were given 18 years to prep this meal and now you are setting it on the table. Some dishes will be too salty, some too sweet, some too bland, but all will be on the table of your child's life and mixed together they will be the beginning of such an adventure. Whether you are watching them leave for college, trade school, a job ....you are watching independence. There is not an emotion in your entire being that you won't feel. But know this.......the culmination of all your hard work is beginning to pay off. Mistakes in the future? You bet! After all, you raised a human. Anxiety? Of course. After all YOU are a parent. But I'm gonna go out on a limb and say deep down in the very recesses of your heart you wouldn't have it any other way. For to have it any differently...to keep that child tethered to your proverbial apron strings is to deny him or her the right to spread those wonderful wings and fly. And what an unbelievable meal it is to share. Please take this with the love with which it is given.......you have imparted as much as you can, and yes, while there are still many lessons for them to learn, they will be learned without you standing directly in front of them. They will hurt, they will cry, they will break dishes and drop forks, but o yes!.....they will also feast on the opportunity of becoming who they are meant to be. I could go on and on for I have been in your shoes. I have cried rivers of tears and also wanted to reach across miles and wring necks. But I have also smiled and glowed and swelled with pride at their accomplishments. So I'm going to close this way. You have set the table. Now say Grace over it. Not today but EVERY day. Then step back and know that you have laid the tablecloth and dishes the best you knew how. It is now time to allow your child to eat.