Last week I took a couple of days off from work to clean up my house. This is not an extraordinary thing to do, mind you, but my last child will shortly be moving all of her belongings out of our home. She’s not my youngest child, she’s the second of my trio of girls. She officially moved out the summer after high school graduation in 2011, but she’s never emptied everything. Clothes still lingered, drawers full of trinkets and miscellaneous bric-a-brac filled two guest rooms. When cleaning up last week, I found many items which brought back memories of days not-so-long ago when three children played constantly in my house. I could almost hear their small voices in the hallway. As I gazed at their childhood photos, I wondered where they were. They were here but then they left and went somewhere else. It seems like they went outside to play one day and came back inside grown women. Looking at those photos didn’t bring sad memories but fond ones. Apparently, when children leave home parents are supposed to go through a time of adjustment and perhaps I have. However, it’s also a time to look to the future.
When I see old friends and they ask about my children, it isn’t unusual to hear the question of ‘how does it feel to be an empty nester?’ Of course, the short answer is my husband and I are having a great time. We go out together and don’t typically worry about where our children are and what they’re doing since they’re responsible adults. We do whatever we want whenever we want because, well, we can. But also it’s exciting to watch and see what these extraordinary people will do with their lives. They married great men who complement our family. I’ve never had sons and I’m thrilled to call these three my own. Sure, I miss the company of my three beauties being around all of the time, breezing in and out and leaving a mess behind. It’s a good feeling to know somewhere they’re doing something productive and meaningful. They are only a text message away in any time zone and when they look up they see the same stars at night.
Putting away Katie’s memories where she can cart them off to her new home was somewhat bittersweet. Finding her hair ties, errant costume jewelry and letterman’s jacket tugged at my heart. She’s always been my messy child so none of this was unusual. Knowing she’s happy and ready to start a new chapter in her life with her husband and new granddaughter to come is exciting.
Do we worry about them? Let me put it this way: we never allow them to be far from our minds. Even when they’re across the nation or down the street. We pray for them all every day, especially the babies. We trust God will protect our children wherever and whatever. It’s what He does.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Packing up memories