Back on the Road Again

(Val) When my daughter finally got her driver's license, I had mixed feelings. On the one hand, there was the fear every parent feels when they turn their kid loose behind the wheel, and I knew I would miss all the time we shared in the car going here and there. On the other hand, I was excited that maybe I would start to slow down the speed at which miles were quickly adding up on Ol' Blue's odometer. That second part is good, in theory, except that now that I'm not running Jesse everywhere, I seem to be putting the miles on there myself with race trips and such!

This weekend will be different though. Jesse and I are heading out tomorrow for a trip down to Springfield, Missouri for a college visit at MSU and to take in a football game. Just a mother-daughter getaway to which we have been looking forward for months.

I have always cherished time with my kids, but as the time draws nearer for my first baby to spread her wings and head off to college, I find that those moments grow more precious with every passing day. They say that time flies, but I think that once kids start school, that time doesn't just fly, it accelerates like the Space Shuttle lifting off the launchpad. How is it that 18 years have gone so quickly?

The funny thing is, I wouldn't go back for anything in the world. As precious as they were as babies, and as cute as they were toddling around, I really like my kids more now, as teenagers, than I did when they were small. For me, the fact that they can tell me what hurts, or share their excitement in words I can understand, is so much nicer that trying to puzzle those things out when they were still learning to communicate. I have always felt that the older my kids get, the more I like them.

Of course, the older they get, the closer we are to the empty nest season in our lives.

Even as I think about how much I will miss my kids once they move on to lives of their own, I can't help but smile at all that they have ahead of them. Both are so brilliant, sweet and funny, and I know that they are capable of great things. My greatest joy is watching them grow and learn and share in our family's love for the Lord.

So this weekend, I am off to spend hours in the van with my daughter, while my husband attends a father-son retreat with Brenden. We will talk, laugh, shop, eat and have a lot of fun. And when we return home, there will be one more memory to tuck away and pull out again on those "I miss you" days that I know lie in the not-so-distant future.