Taking Flight

I woke up to this beautiful sight this morning.  God just greeted me with it and said, "Today will be good."
And it is a good day indeed.  Two months ago, I wondered through this. And today she was brave enough to do this:

She loaded up her things and got on that bus brave face and all. She was ready for Science Camp.

The hardest parts are always good-byes.  Today was no exception.

She held her own until she was seated on the bus and then the tears fell quickly and quietly and all I could do was wave, blow kisses and watch as I tried desperately to hold it together.  This process of letting go is just as difficult for mama as it is for daughter.  We might butt heads and I may wonder aloud where her stubborn streak comes from or that flair for dramatics. . .but at the end of each day: she holds my heart in her hands as I hold hers.  It's a sacred thing, really--this mothering of hearts, shaping of little people who will go out and raise up this kingdom.

Today feels like a huge victory: a stretching of her wings--ready to take flight.  And as painful as it feels for a brief moment when I reflect on the life we've already lived with her. . .I am reminded of the life we have left.  I am reminded of the life she is living today--rooted in our love, our faith, and His promise of the goodness to come.  Today was a good day!