Kenzie returned home safely last night from her first trip away by herself. She drove to SDSU in Brookings, SD Friday after school and stayed w/ her cousin in the dorms. It was a wonderful experience for her as she continues to do more to strike out on her own. I'm actually pretty proud of myself in that I wasn't calling or texting her every five minutes. I wish Mom was here so I could ask her how she dealt w/ this time in child rearing. It had to be incredibly difficult to see Ron move to Los Angeles, David to Alabama, Lori to Houston, and me to Austin....each when we were in our early 20's. I do know that in the 80's before the era of cell phones, we made arrangements to talk on Sunday nights. I remember waiting anxiously by the phone and don't ever recall thinking it was a chore to have to talk to my parents. Perhaps time has faded any false feelings, but I think that's a gift the passage of time renders. We forget the faults and foibles. I hope those who know me will be so forgiving when I'm gone......better yet, I hope they can forgive me my flaws while I'm still here.
The last time I was home to see Dad, we looked through their lockbox. This is an old one that is kept in a closet, not in the bank. Amongst all the copies of legal documents was the first letter I wrote to Mom and Dad when I went off to college. In it I didn't talk about anything particularly sentimental, but she kept it for 28 years. After I read it, Dad took it and put it right back into the lockbox. He doesn't want to change anything inside the house. When he or Ron or I dust and vacuum, we put everything right back the way it was. Mom kept my room exactly the way I left it when I went to college, and it stayed that way for 10 years after. My siblings called it The Shrine. Maybe that's part of how Mom dealt w/ me going to college and leaving her w/ an empty nest. She kept the nest in tact just like Dad is doing now.
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