"Mom, I'm Not Dead! I'm Just Going to College!"

If you haven't guessed, this weekend, I dropped another one of my children off at college.  My oldest has already been at college a few years.  Now, it was time to deliver my daughter to her new home away from home.  Since Aimee is the second-born twin, she has always said that she is the middle, middle child.  There is even a joke saying, "Today is National Middle Child Day, but no one celebrated because no one noticed."  Aimee told me that I wouldn't be as sad as when her older brother went to college.  She was wrong.  Yes, I teared up multiple times.  Any mother out there knows that when their child leaves the nest, it's easy for worry to set in.  You begin to ask yourself if they are doing well; are they eating enough; are they getting enough sleep; are they lonely?  As a parent, you can't turn off that instinct.  The problem is that the instinct is still there but they aren't so you have no way of knowing the answer to those questions.  This leaves you with only a few options.  You can stalk them on social media, call them until they send you to voicemail, or you can trust that the truths you instilled within them will lead them to their personal successes.  I'm not going to pretend that I went straight to the trust point.  I did make a few phone calls...okay maybe every evening for a while.  But eventually, I had to trust God to be with them every step of the way.  So, for both of my girls (one away from home and the other a little closer to home) and my son, remember that I'm praying for you every day.  I'm so proud of who you each have become and love you very much!  I can't wait to see what God does in all of your lives!  Meanwhile, be waiting for the next phone call...maybe sooner rather than later!