My Girl is off to Hong Kong. I’d like to tell you that all the preparations went smoothly and without hitches or glitches…but I’d be lying. The final day of packing and preparing went exactly as the men in this house expected, which is why they were both gone!
To tell the truth, I was sort of surprised at what a nice, calm day we were having…we went out for French Fries, because that seemed a very American thing to do, enjoyed the blue skies and drove by Our Friend the Farmer’s cows to see if any of the girls were calving, (well, that part was my idea, but it was worth the ‘eye roll’ I got for it and a small smile).
Then all of a sudden the nest got ‘tight’… too small…and the Baby Bird was not preparing to fly in the manner this Mother Bird thought appropriate…but I could be wrong…after all down loading your music to your computer could be more important than activating your money card or weighing your bags or printing off your flight information or…and the anxiety was rising in us both…it was not our finest hour.
Number Two Son got home took one look at me and said,
“How about I open the wine?”
He is one of the smartest in the family. Number Two then went off to find his sister and calm her down as well…reminding her that she and I have lived together for 21 years and we know how to ‘push each other’s buttons’….and that Mom might have a point about…some of it…
Just about the time I had the dinner ready…My Loving Spouse texted to say that he was 40 minutes away. So much for the calm family dinner I’d planned before My Girl left. He got home, we ate and she went out… I confessed that I hate it when I get so upset at her…and then shed a tear or two as I got in touch with the real truth… I am scared…maybe not a LOT of scared but some scared… My Girl is going far away to a country where she is not even allowed to say why she has come. She is on a mission, but must say she is a ‘tourist’….and that is China.
Tired tears… My Loving Spouse did what any level headed person would do… he ran out and got me ice cream… and some chocolate.
My Girl was born doing things differently…she could climb long before she could walk. I could not keep her from climbing into this window when she was 1. Eventually, the neighbors stopped ringing the door bell to say,
“Did you know that the baby was in the window?”
‘Ah, yes.’ I managed to keep her safe, while she dealt with the world in her own way…but it has been a challenge.
Today we drove her over the hill to the airport. As I asked her a third time,
“Do you have your passport?” while telling myself NOT to ask her again, she very wisely handed me her passport so I could see it for myself…so perhaps she wasn’t the only anxious one.
All checked in and ready for security, we asked a random human to snap our happy photo…
…then hugged and then we both started crying, well except for My Loving Spouse who told everyone they didn’t ‘need’ to cry. Dropping sons off for big life excursions is much easier…at least then, there was only one of us crying. Thank goodness for texting… 
…and she is off…the nest feels weird and this Mother Bird is very, very tired.
Sending big hugs to you, oh Mother Bird! Know a bit how you are feeling. My bird only went 3,000 miles away, but it still feels the same. You’ve raised her well. She will make friends with her group. She will have a wonderful adventure that will stay with her forever. And you can be in touch easily via cell phone and skype. Just think how hard it was for Mother Birds before cell phones or email?? Had to wait weeks for snail mail to find out how things were going, and even then it was old news by the time you got the letter. Hugs, hugs and more hugs!
Thank you Mims,
We did here that she arrived and is safe and overwhelmed. How much email etc will be allowed is somewhat unknown…as it is ‘China’, but hopefully enough for us all!