Last night:
7:00pm I give a valiant attempt to get Mary Erin to bed sooner than normal.
7:30pm I tuck the girls in; they wait for a story.
7:35pm Annika tells me she doesn't want their plane to crash, that she will miss Mary Erin. I remind her nothing can happen to us that God doesn't allow. I tell her more people die in cars than planes. I tell her we'll pray about it.
8:00pm Mary Erin sleeps, the 3 younger girls hang on Ross begging for another story.
8:30pm All the girls sleep.
9:00pm Ross wakes Annika to ask her a question about something reported to him about one of her classmates.
9:30pm Benaiah and I hit the sack for the night.
10:30pm I hear Ross shaving.
11:00pm Ross comes to bed.
12:00am Eva comes in. Why? She doesn't know. I put her back to bed.
12:30am Ross' alarm goes off. I frantically run to it, pressing all the buttons I can feel.
12:45am Ross' other alarm goes off. He gets up. I hear other sounds, maybe shaving again?
1:05am I gently wake Mary Erin and tell her "It's time!"
1:10am I frantically dump all of Mary Erin's Turkish lira on my bed, give her a good US Dollar exchange rate, and stick her money in her backpack.
1:13am I calm her fears that airport security is going to confiscate her hand sanitizer and hand lotion. I tell her, "You're a kid. Maybe they'll let you keep it."
1:14am I start to remind her to be careful wearing crocs on the escalators, recalling something I read in the news. I change my mind.
1:15am The apartment bell rings. I quickly answer and hiss back, "Coming!" hoping all the while it doesn't wake everyone else in the house.
1:16am I start hugging Mary Erin. I try not to cry. I think about how she was 4 the last time she did this...a little bob in her hair, a kitty cat t-shirt. I try not to think about it.
1:17am Ross tells me he has packed 3 books for reading. He asks me will he have time?
1:18am I tell him he will not have time. I tell him the books will just be heavy.
1:19am We call the elevator. Ross runs back in to put all but 1 book back.
1:20am I remind him the driver is waiting.
1:21am He reminds me the driver will wait.
1:22am I hug Mary Erin again. She begins telling me about Mr. Popper's Penguins. I am trying not to think about how tall she has grown.
1:23am I tell Mary Erin this was all my idea to let her go, that I hope she has a wonderful time. I consider saying, "America or Bust" but decide it will take too long to explain it. What does "Bust" mean anyway?
1:24am Ross is last-minute analyzing if he has forgotten anything, which is fine by me as long as it doesn't include analyzing dating, proposing to, or marrying me.
1:25am I call out, "passport, money." He says he has it.
1:26am I smile one last time and tell them I will miss them.
2:15am I call Ross' cell phone. Airport desks aren't open, they tell me. They got there 2 hours early for nothing. We talk, say goodbye again, all tell each other how much we love each other.
2:25am I try to sleep. My feet are cold. I put on socks.
6:45am I wake, realizing they are almost to Belgium, and I have started my 2 weeks without them.
8 comments:
Oh Sara, now you've made me have tears in my eyes. Bless your heart. I see it now - You are going to be a mess when Mary Erin leaves for college, you know that don't you?
What are we moms to do? I have actually considered writing "somebody" and telling them that sending one's children away from home just to go to school (or for any reason) is the most ridiculous idea anybody ever came up with! I am sure I could find a Biblical basis for that somewhere. :)
AND it doesn't get easier. You'd think after the first one, it would, but it doesn't. It may actually be worse. (I probably could go all day without telling you that, huh?) :)
You can bury your head in a pillow and cry or you could try my solution -- First, pray for God not to let your heart hurt so much and secondly, try to enjoy what they are doing with them. Think of the adventure they are having, etc. :)
In any case, know that you have friends who understand how you feel and be glad she is still young enough to have Papa with her.
Melanie
And not to leave out the fact that you will also miss Ross . . .
Isn't there a movie about all this somewhere?? :)
Love-
Melanie
Melanie...Mary Erin actually asked me last night if I was going to cry. I thought about how I would feel to see my mom cry when I left and determined NOT to. But it was hard!
Isn't it hard not to? I have to be careful of the same thing. I don't dare even act like I am going to miss Kathleen when she leaves for school or she would cry all the way there.
I'd like to tell you it gets better as they get older, but I can't see how it does. :)
You and the rest of the group will have fun these next two weeks. You can sit around and speculate on what Papa and Mary Erin are doing! :)
I'm driving down to Delta State with Karoline next week to see about getting her enrolled there next fall and looking over the music department. I'm already thinking . . . . "They'd better like her or else!!" :))
M
Wow - what a big girl ME is. I love the pictures. You'll do fine. We'll be praying for you at home and R & ME while they're here....
Love you!
Will be praying for you! Matt didn't go this year, but I know how hard it can be!
Oh sweet friend, I loved this and my heart broke at the same time. THANK YOU! I remember how hard it was... wish I could come have dinner with you and the family (can't just say the girls anymore can I?). Remember the last time I was there and Ross had left? We had an evening excursion with your vehicle. Still the reasoning I use why everyone should learn how to drive a stick shift. Love you!
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