On The Road Back Home - Solo
/We give them wings to fly, tools and wisdom to succeed. In letting our adult children go, we are letting them grow. All of these quotes sound wonderful and meaningful - until it’s your child moving a thousand miles away.
Now that Sara is settled in her new home in New Mexico, another parenting quote comes to mind - the pain of letting go is something a mother can never anticipate. It’s like taking out a piece of your heart. I know it could be worse. She could be overseas, many thousands of miles away. ABQ is only a 2 1/2 hour flight away; those miles are going to add up very quickly!
I had 6 months to digest this event. Sara wanted to move closer to her (very serious) boyfriend, who is stationed out west. Easier for her to relocate, was their mutual decision. They presented the news to me last year with promises at some point in the future to return to Chicago. It didn’t really sink in until she started packing last month. I was in total denial, desperately hoping they’d change their minds. No such luck.
The saving grace was Sara asking me to help her move, driving with her (and her cat) cross-country. For those of you following me on social media, THAT was the purpose of this trip - to help get her settled in this new journey. We (all three of us) drove 2 cars from Chicago to Kansas City, Kansas City to Amarillo, and Amarillo to ABQ.
We spent several days unpacking, shopping and stocking up. We spent time down time in the Foothils and a day trip to Santa Fe. All in all, it was a lovely week - the clock ticking by way too quickly.
And suddenly, it was the moment I’d been dreading - time for me to fly home, solo. We made one last trip to the grocery store. I wrote out a couple more recipes until it was time for Sara to drive me to the airport. It was impossible to hold back my tears. There goes my best theatre buddy, someone who thinks like I do. We finish each other’s sentences, or respond to people’s questions with the same answer in unison! This child had turned into an amazing young woman - smart, intuitive, talented and a joy to be around. I couldn’t be more proud.
It will be a learning curve for both of us. We promised to call or FaceTime every day, at least in the beginning. I will be flying out to see her in March and she will fly to Chicago in April to celebrate my 35th anniversary at ABC 7 Chicago. I haven’t made plans beyond that. We’ll have to see what kind of work schedule she will have; she’s already gotten several leads and interviews coming up. I have no doubt that she will succeed.
More quotes come to mind - Letting go of the child you’ve nurtured and raised is one of the hardest things you will ever do - but it’s also one of the most rewarding. You haven done your job. Now watch them flourish. Go get ‘em Sara! It’s your turn to shine!❤️