At 8:40 this morning I found myself surrounded by my sons, our noses pressed against the windows of the Sacramento Airport. We were watching a departure with special care, unable to move until we could see the plane no more. On it was my daughter, and she will be gone for six days; this is her first flight without her family. I have been thrilled that she could take a trip to Idaho to attend Schola Academy with her online tutor and students from across the country; just as I could meet some of my blog homies last week, she can meet her online classmates. But, I found myself with a massive lump in my throat as the plane lifted off. I fully trust God for her life and my life, but we have been forever changed by the loss of loved ones at very young ages. Cancer, car accidents, water skiing accident, work-related accident, seizure...we have said goodbye to many, all under the age of forty. Those experiences don't make me cling or cushion those around me from possible disaster, but they do make me look in my loved one's eyes when I say good-bye. "I love you" gets said, hugs and kisses are given. The size of her lovely blue eyes, and the intentionality of her bravery as we said good-bye, showed me that these lessons have reached her heart as well.
This dear person just turned fifteen yesterday. It was our first day home from vacation (read: tired and laundry), she had to work, and she received the news that dear friends will be moving. But amidst the sadness there was plenty of celebration: the birthday breakfast, the cards and gifts from friends and family, the excitement of packing for a long-awaited trip.
When I think of my oldest, I am overwhelmed with the young woman she is becoming. She is talented in so many areas (languages, piano, needlework of many kinds, gardening, cooking, and writing to name a few), and she is growing in wisdom and grace. We talked around the table about all our favorite Birthday Girl qualities, and among the compliments were gratitude for time she spends with her siblings (reading Wodehouse to the older boys, The Hobbit to the younger two) and how she fills our house with her beautiful voice and her ringing laughter. She's quite a serious bible student, with a passion for literature and history, but she can find a pun or pull a practical joke with great skill and timing. She's been known to skin a snake and map out its internal organs, and yet would prefer never to be within a mile of a moth. This unpredictable girl is a TREASURE!
I don't usually post pictures with the full-on view of my children's faces, but I could not resist today. This was taken in the airport, just minutes before she boarded the plane. Somehow, we all couldn't get close enough.
The big sister
(Note: the little sister -- the one with the two-pack-a-day cough - was home with Daddy today. We drove off to IKEA after the airport, and just the thought of coughing her way through the warehouse was enough to make her want to go to bed. There seems to be a nasty, choking-cough-kind-of-cold going around. It's a lingerer...beware.)
So, we will continue to appreciate our Birthday Girl in her six day absence. I feel like Sophie the dog, constantly watching out the window for her return. There is the usual work and play to be had this week, and we have every intention of living it to the fullest, but I will have a chunk of my heart in a northern Idaho farm house, as I pray my way through each day.
May you have the time of your life, snug!
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