Letting go ...

 

     Mandy spent the weekend here, on Saturday morning she went out and about with Karen and I to the Rag Shop and then Costco before Karen was off to her Mothers house in Ockechobee and Mandy and I were off to Hollywood.

     I asked if it would be OK to give Karen the wagon full of toys we've had around here for years, so that all of the grandkids at her Mothers house would have something fun and different to play with when they visit Grandma, and ... I could have a little extra space in my closet. I bought most of these toys at garage sales during the years Mandy was baby-sitting Ryan and Derek so I knew she might have some mixed emotions about it.

    She did agree to pass the toys on so the other kids could enjoy them, but you can see from the photo above, that maybe she would of liked to have held on to them for just a little bit longer, it's not always easy letting go.

     Ryan and Derek 04/17/04

     When Mandy was 14 she took on a baby-sitting job for her best friends sister, Derek was only a couple of months old and I must say that it made me more than a little bit nervous.

     They live very close to us and their mother only worked a few blocks from home, their Grand parents lived across the street so I guess we felt that we had Mandy covered in case of emergency. I do remember asking God how on earth I was supposed to trust my 14 year old child with the life of that new born baby.

     She never did have an emergency that summer and she worked at least 40 hours per week. In the fall she worked after school, she did that for a couple of years.

     Being with those boys taught her a lot about love, a lot about life and maybe it taught her how important it is to wait until you get your feet planted firmly on the ground before you start a family. I'm going to strongly hope it taught her that anyway.

      I'm still learning to deal with the fact that she's all grown up (well almost). I hate to keep calling it the Empty nest thing but, yeah ... that's exactly what it is and it's been a difficult time for me. It's just not easy letting go!

 

  My pick for the J-link du jour is called Powwow  <--by Judi Heartsong, it reminded me so of a Powwow that I attended not to long ago found --> here.