I'll Cheer as You Fly

Here we are. My first blog post. I feel like I'm poised to right the great American novel, but I have no words to put down!

I never thought I'd have a blog. In fact, my sister even told me once, "Oh, don't ever get a blog!" I don't know why. I told her she needn't worry, as I didn't feel I had anything about which to blog.

Then I was challenged. Not directly, but by a post I saw on my favorite blog. I was almost dared to start writing about my "humdrum" life. So, here I sit, in my favorite spot on my favorite couch, laptop in place, grasping for words.

Do my words have to be important? Do they need to leave the reader inspired? I don't know. I guess I will just write about what I know.

I have four children, ages 8, 5, 3 and 1. The "baby" will be 2 next month. I really need to quit calling her the "baby". She probably won't appreciate being called that when she's, say, 15.

I just dropped my oldest child off at school. It was a bittersweet day for me, because she was homeschooled for 1st and 2nd grade. We enjoyed it, but we agreed that she needed to move on to "regular" school. Today was her first day. I took her while my husband stayed home with the other three kids. We had a nice chat on the way to school... it's a 20 minute drive on a 2-lane road, so we have some time to talk (and gawk... we're surrounded by the foothills of the Appalachian mountains. A daily reminder of the beauty of God's earth!) I think that will be my favorite part of the day. A lot of moms don't get 5 minutes alone with their children, so I'm grateful to have 20 uninterrupted minutes with her daily. To talk. To sing. To pray. To exhort. To teach.

I expected this day to be a little hard, but I didn't think I would cry. I mean, she's in THIRD GRADE. Moms of third graders don't cry on their kid's first day of school, do they? That's for moms of kindergartners, right? Ha. Well, I did cry. I waved goodbye and drove forward, slowly, sadly, wanting to run back and walk her into the building, even though I was warned ("Third graders don't need their moms to walk them in, Mom." MOM! Not Mommy!)



I got halfway down the gravel road leading away from her school. A sob caught in my throat. I heard myself say, "My baby!" I quickly turned the radio up and this Mark Harris song came on. God put it there, I know.

"It's only for a moment you are mine to hold
The plans that heaven has for you
Will all too soon unfold
So many different prayers I'll pray
For all that you might do
But most of all I'll want to know
You're walking in the truth
And If I never told you
I want you to know
As I watch you grow
I pray that God would fill your heart with dreams
And that faith gives you the courage
To dare to do great things
I'm here for you whatever this life brings
So let my love give you roots
And help you find your wings
May passion be the wind
That leads you through your days
And may conviction keep you strong
Guide you on your way
May there be many moments
That make your life so sweet
Oh, but more than memories
It's not living if you don't reach for the sky
I'll have tears as you take off
But I'll cheer as you fly"

So she's flying, and through my tears, I'm cheering.