First, apologies for my absence of late!  Out on a pole some distance from my house, a cable box fried rendering my television, telephone, and internet access disabled.  While I could live without the phone, the absence of tv and internet connectivity left me feeling distraught!

Happily, the box in disrepair was fixed this evening, so hooray!  How does a family survive without TV and internet in this day and age?  We had dinner together.  We talked.  I gave the dogs a bath.  I took a nap (sleep, sweet sleep!).

And I gave away a lot of money to my daughter for homecoming week.  T-shirts painted with the friends.  Carnival rides at school.  Game money.  Food money.

Do kids ever pay their parents back?

I did enjoy the time off the grid.  But I’m glad to be back online!

When you raise children, they become so much of your focus for years that it becomes hard to let them go.  While I know I risk writing the stereotypical post about empty nest syndrome, one has simply to reflect upon how often you visit your own parents.

Michelle Kaufman of family become what you are wrote about how our children are ultimately not our own.  In fact, she takes the concept of letting go one step further.  Our children are not ours, they belong to God.

At Tim’s funeral I remember his parents standing on the stage speaking of their dearly loved son.  I remember thinking how strong they seemed standing there together.  But most importantly I remember them talking about how children are gifts from God.  That they are not ours.  Our children are on loan to us for as long as God wills it.  It’s been about 18 years now since that tragic day, but those words have stayed with me…

Giving your child the freedom to live their life how they choose is one thing.  Giving your child up forever is another.  I can’t imagine the pain the parents must feel, but do hope they find comfort.

Photo by EuroMagic.