Growing up, moving on

I think it's interesting that my youngest daughter's graduation came the day before Mother's Day. And it seems appropriate that I just spent the last five days with my girls. It was great fun to have so much time with Julia and Megan. I love the women they're becoming. And I don't think I can take a lot of credit for it — at least not all by myself. It's also God and their dad and all the experiences they've had, with some genetics thrown it.

The thought occured to me one day while I was in Chicago that children continue to grow, even after they can officially be called adults. And I realized that's how it should be. It's a process and at any one time, I shouldn't look at them and decide "they're finished." In fact, they should never be "finished" (at least not this side of heaven). And I can't be impatient with the process — it happens gradually and in fits and starts. And I realized that part of the process is growing away, as well as growing up. But then, after they've separated themselves from their parents sufficiently to know themselves better, they start growing back toward you. And it's wonderful.