A Day With Laura And Erin

Many years ago, I traveled down to Bloomington, IN to witness one of my daughters testing for her black belt in Taekwondo.   In previous years, I had always seen her as an appendage of me; but now, sitting on the sidelines, I saw her being greeted by friends I had never met.  I suddenly had the thought that one day, at my funeral, people attending would gather to comfort my daughter and probably would not even know me.  This was not a thought filled with sadness, rather a serene feeling that all was as it should be.  When you parent a child, you are preparing them for independence, for the opportunity to expand their horizons far beyond yours.

This brings me to yesterday when that same daughter, Laura, came to visit.  She was accompanied by her friend, Erin.  I was somewhat uneasy because, years earlier, I had seen a picture of Erin taken when Laura visited her in Spain ( yes, Laura's horizons have stretched far beyond mine, my farthest trip being one to Hawaii.)  Well, I have formed the habit of trying to discern a person's character by studying their picture and I had declared to Laura that Erin had a warm and open face and that I liked her and felt she would be a fine friend.  Now, at our first meeting, I was about to discover just how accurate my judgment was.  I am happy to announce that I was right on.

As I sat in the car and watched them, in the distance, study and critique the merits of a birdbath intended for placement in Laura's garden, I saw, once again, my little girl had indeed made her own circle of friends.  What a blessing to her and a comfort to me!  Throughout the day, the two of them included me in their banter and I must say I thoroughly enjoyed it (my chocomania ice cream cone, purchased at Oink's Dutch Treat, didn't hurt either.)