Leaving home...

She was wiping tears away from her eyes as she walked toward the plane. It had been a difficult last half hour or so—saying goodbye to family. The hugs were tight and the eyes teary. This was the start of yet another of our family journeys.

Our daughter was leaving home for a 9 month cross Canada adventure with Katimavik (see my previous blog). She was excited and scared. Ready to go forth yet wanting to stay put. For those she left behind there is a void. Her upbeat and vibrant enthusiastic 18 year old personality will be sorely missed. That wrenching, immediate change is so difficult. The long goodbyes with friends over the past week seemed endless. At one point over the weekend, knowing the pain of separation is forthcoming, you want to have her go now and not prolong the agony.

We've heard from her. She arrived safely in Montreal. But that's it for now. She's on to her new adventure—meeting new friends, learning new skills, living with a group—and we're not sure when our next contact will be.

One of our feelings through the sadness of the departure was that this is truly the right thing for her to be doing. She will have one of those life-changing experiences and grow beyond the maturity that we have witnessed these past few years.

Letting go is hard to do but as parents we must let go and let them go explore their world. It is a selfish act to keep them at home because that is safe for us.

Remember the butterfly saying:

Love is like a butterfly, hold it too tight it will crush, hold it too loose, it will fly.