I'd like to share a few thoughts that I hope help just one mama find a little joy in the journey that is about to take place.
Let's go back to last year to begin our journey... As I sit here, I think about how excited I was that KB had been accepted at Clemson. After that answered prayer, I then moved on to worrying about her roommate and new friends at school she would make. I could go on and on, but just remember that in life... once one worry is settled... another comes along. It's a never ending cycle.
As I sit listening to her and her daddy laugh at a corny movie that I don't get, I find joy in her being home on a Sunday night. She isn't the typical college freshman... she is driving back and forth to work five days this spring break week before enjoying a long weekend at home. She takes every opportunity she has to come see us!
I have often thanked God for getting me through tough times, but I can honestly say her leaving for college was the most heartbreaking thing that has ever happened! (I know I'm blessed that this is the worst thing!) Had I not had faith... I would have never made it. My advice to the mother who is at home tonight with her high school senior is to listen to the sounds of the house... even the fighting between siblings... you will miss them. The first morning she was gone Mark sent me a message and told me the shower should have been coming on and it was too quiet. You don't realize the noises they make until they are gone. You will miss the sound of "I'm hungry, Can I go, Will you..." Soak in every minute you have!
After you soak in the sounds of the house... just pray... bathe that senior in prayer... ask God to keep them healthy, to keep them safe, to keep them protected, and to keep them focused on the things they have been taught. One of my worries was for her to go buck wild... I've been told many times that children are going to drink, they are going to go wild, they are going to spend the night with boys, they are going to disappoint you once they go off to college... I should just let her do what she wants while she is in high school in order for her to come home to me instead of a dorm room when she has had too much to drink or when she is in trouble. I didn't want to take that approach... it wasn't for me. I don't fault those parents who do that though... because good kids still come from parents who do that.
As much as we preached that we didn't want her to make bad decisions, we knew it was clear that she could. We explained how alcohol can make your mind do crazy things... one bad decision can change your life forever... we have shared how both Mark and I made the "most stupidiest" (I know it is not correct) mistakes, but God wasn't ready for us yet. As a mama of a senior... be an example and tell your child that they are protected... that they are prayed for... and that they are loved! Let them know that decisions have consequences and no matter what safety is in your home.
My final piece of advice for tonight... is to find a song that can serve as a prayer over the child... Last year, I chose "Different" by Micah Tyler. My prayer was for KB to be different. I prayed for her to not be like everyone else... to be a different person... to be noticed for being different. As I sit here tonight, I think back to the worry and the prayer that I placed over her before she left for college.... and today, I am so thankful that my prayers were answered. I've watched God take a freshman who could barely speak to us without crying over the telephone... who cried EVERY time she left... and who was overwhelmed with the transition of going to college turn into a child who still calls forty-two times a day laughing about things she has experienced... a child who has only gotten teary-eyed the last few times she has left.... and a child who is planning her meeting for signing up for classes next semester.
I love her determination, I love her spirit, and I love that God answers prayers! Now, Sis... do not go out and make bad decisions... and #dontbetrashy!
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