The End of an Era, A Mom’s Perspective…

It’s one of those times in my family’s lives where the end of an era is clearly being defined.  It’s a change in the landscape of our family, a different kind of normal.  I suppose it all began last year when my daughter moved to Texas in pursuit of a teaching job, taking with her only what she could fit in her car- and her little puppy dog, Emmi.  While it was sad to see her go so far away, we all knew that it was for the best.  She moved into her grandma’s guest room.  I loved knowing she was there; it gave me peace of mind.  We are thankful to my mom for sharing her guestroom with Melissa, for an unlimited amount of time.  It was nice for the two of them to have that time together!  Melissa was there for about nine months when she was hired as a 4^th grade teacher at a wonderful elementary school.  Now she is coming back here, to get the rest of her things because she is moving into her own apartment, closer to where she works… hence the end of an era. 

When she went to Texas, we kept her bedroom just as she had left it.  I moved bits and pieces of my studio into her room, so I would have a place to work on my clay creations.  While it’s been quite crowded in there, I loved having my daughter all around me… now the room can be 100% dedicated to my studio, which will be nice for me.  (Of course, there will be a guest bed in the room, for when she visits.)   But, somehow it all feels very bitter-sweet.  I am so very proud of all that my daughter has, and is accomplishing in her life.  She has grown up to be an amazing and beautiful young woman - inside and out!  But I must say… this feels so much different than when she went away to college.  We still had all her things at our house and her bedroom was waiting there for her when she frequently came home for weekend visits.  Time can be a blur, and it feels like she went from pigtails and lolly pops to her college graduation day in the blink of an eye.  Now college graduation is more than a year behind her and she is teaching… something she had dreamed of doing for as long as I can remember.  Like I had said in a past blog post:  Walking into her classroom and seeing her teach was such a surreal moment for me.  Seemed I was a volunteer mom, and she was a kindergarten student only moments ago – now she was standing before me – a teacher with a classroom of her own!  I just don’t know how she got to be all grown up already.  The time passed, and it passed very quickly… and definitely without my permission!  She had already moved beyond her childhood days, for quite some time, but now she is moving on… into a life of her own.  She will take with her all the memories of her childhood - and she will leave with us, in our hearts and in our minds, those memories as well.  It will be a new beginning for her… one that I hope is filled with much success and many, many happy moments!  New memories will be made in her life - for her, and for our family.  We will cherish every one!  It’s exciting for her to begin this new journey in her life.  As her mom, it’s exciting to see where this journey will take her.  May the child that lives within her soul keep dancing, and light up her grown-up world… May all her dreams come true.