Fly, Baby Bird! Fly!

I know this blog is supposed to be about me writing every day now but today, I have to write about something my daughter wrote.  She left letters for us - one for me and one for her dad - here at the house for us to read after she left.  My letter was one of the most amazing things I have ever read and a treasure I will cherish forever.  I really thought I was okay and had come to terms with her not being in the house anymore, with the fact that she is not just spreading her wings now, but actually flying.  I found myself realizing that this could easily be the end of her being part of our household.  I felt like I was standing on the edge of the nest one minute, urging her to spread her wings and get the feel of the wind lifting her, and the next minute she was not just feeling the lift but catching the current and allowing it to take her into the sky, while I am left thinking "Wait! Not yet!" and feeling my stomach lurch as if I were on a roller coaster.  I mean, I actually felt physically sick.  This, I did not expect.  But the words I read a few minutes ago reassured me that I have done my job.  They reassured me that there is a time for everything. This is her time.  She is ready.  Even if she isn't sure of it, I am.