“A mother speaks with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.” ~ Proverbs 31:26
Betsy couldn’t fathom how the
years had slipped away so quickly and desperately wanted time to slow down to
delay the inevitable “last moments.”
She meandered through her daughter, Sonya’s, senior year
with tear-fogged eyes, paralyzed by grief at the thought of letting her go.
Nostalgia was her nemesis; tormented by constant reflection of the past and a
mantra that her heart kept whispering..."How did this all go by so
fast?"
Memories of Sonya growing up kept repeating like clips from
a sappy movie, culminating in visions of the farewell scene as they dropped her
off at college. Would they be driving away watching her in the review mirror,
waving from the residence hall steps? Would she cry? Would she even be able to
breathe?
So, Betsy blubbered through Sonya’s entire senior year, her
graduation, college orientation at a school 9 hours away, and even at the
Target checkout line with a car full of dorm essentials.
She jotted down a few of her favorite Bible verses,
organized by specific request, and placed them in an envelope titled (When you
need a little boost), for Sonya to reference.
One package (On a cold day), contained a fleece pullover.
Another (When you’re coming down with a cold), came complete with vitamin C,
tea, honey, cough drops, extra Kleenex boxes, and a plethora of OTC cold medicines.
There was a special (Me Time) gift of spa day goodies,
chocolates, and a Chick-Fil-A card. On that day when Sonya had (No time for
laundry today), she’ll unwrap a package filled with some hair ties, socks, and undergarments.
(For midterms), there was a wrapped package with insomnia
cookies, a Starbucks gift card for (When you need a jolt), and an “A” pendant (For
achieving your first A).
Betsy, a courageous cancer survivor, offered one final gift
(Open me when we say Goodbye). Since her daughter was the “sunshine” in her
life, she would receive a gold sun necklace as a reminder.
When the moment finally arrived, they BOTH cried as they
hugged one last time in the parking lot at her dorm and said goodbye. On her
way to the car, Betsy asked her Heavenly Father to release her from feeling
like motherhood had ended. She prayed for help to find new, meaningful ways to
stay connected and deepen her now-adult relationship with Sonya as the journey
continues:
“Heavenly Father, I place her into Your
hands and ask for Your grace, guidance, and protection over her heart and mind,
as she takes this next big step in her journey through life. Keep Jesus as the
central focus of her day. Amen” ~ Betsy
