I just had one of the best three-day stretches EVER with my child. She’s 22. The 18 summers I “got” with her are well in my rear-view mirror. But oh the beauty right in front of me. We went camping together. We talked and laughed and played games and ate a whole bunch of s’mores and walked and sat on the beach together. And you know what else we did? We planned for the future….for what we’re glimpsing down the road. For a beyond-18 summer or Christmas or ordinary day made extraordinary for the doing it with each other. We don’t know if we’ll “get” it, of course, but we’re making a road map for it, written with hope.
Will the days we spend in the same physical space be fewer and fewer as she builds the life I’ve been trying to equip her for all those first 18 years? Of course. As they should be. But I’m not done making time with this grown-up child count. By Zoom or by text or by phone call or by long weekends where we meet up halfway between where she is and where I am or by future summer days when she comes to me, we will make the most of any moments we’re given.
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This post originally appeared at Guilty Chocoholic Mama, published with permission. Be sure to also check out Elizabeth’s book, Known By His Names: A 365-Day Journey from the Beginning to Amen.
