A Year of LAST Firsts

Our daughter is a Senior in High School and so this school year has become a year of LAST firsts for us. I have known all along that this year was going to be different from any other school year we had experienced, due to her status as a Senior, but I really wasn't prepared for how bitter-sweet it was going to be for me.

Don't get me wrong, I am THRILLED that my baby girl is a Senior and getting ready to start a new part of her life journey. I am THRILLED that I have had the privilege of watching her grow from an adorable baby in my arms, to a beautiful, loving, gracious, giving, smart, and funny young woman. I am THRILLED that she is excited about this year and the new adventures that lie ahead of her. I am THRILLED that she has a good head on her shoulders and has plans for her future. I am THRILLED to know her, and love her, and support her, and in a much too short time send her off to college.

BUT

I wasn't prepared for all of these LAST FIRSTS that we are experiencing in our home. These are things that we have taken for granted for the last 12 years of her life. Things that in the grand scheme of things are just tiny blips on the radar of her life - yet they are things that have taken on a new significance for me: LAST open house at school, LAST first day of school, LAST school pictures (and they are Senior pictures at that), LAST time filling out all those forms in HER name, LAST golf match, LAST Girl Scout meeting...and the list will only grow as the year progresses. Now, I know that you are laughing and calling me a sentimental old fool at some of the things that have made my breath catch in my throat and bring a tear to my eye - and you would be right - but this is my first baby, DANG-IT!! I also know that I am not done since we still have three years of high school with our wonderful son, but in the not too distant future some of the same things will be making me tear up with him as well.

So now that I have made a fool of myself I will say once again that I am THRILLED for her and EXTREMELY proud of her, even if there is a little tear in my eye as I type this.

Rain, rain rain...

Tropical Storm Lee moved into the area yesterday and it has rained ever since. Rain is one of those weird things that bring out so many mixed emotions in people. As a rule I love rainy days - they are days made for relaxing and curling up with a good book. Or are they? Maybe they are made for playing, laughing and stomping in puddles. Of course rainy days are perfect for introspection and reflection.

Now don't get me wrong, there are days when rain is the last thing I want to see, but it seems to me that unlike other weather events, rainy days offer a wider variety of emotions. Rain falling is life giving. It nourishes every living thing on this planet. When it rains after a long dry spell you can almost feel the world coming back to life. Yet, too much rain can bring us down emotionally and physically.

I have always thought that rain was very musical. I remember lying on my grandmothers bed listening to the rain on the tin roof and knowing that I was hearing the music of heaven. As I sit here listening to the rain I am struck again by how musical it sounds...the low rumble of the downpours, the high pinging of the drops on the leaves, the percussion of the drops on the roof.

As we move into another musical night of rain I wanted to share some of my favorite rain songs with you...maybe one of them will resonate with the way you are feeling tonight too...one resonates deeply with my soul tonight, I'll let you decide which one.









Rain, rain, rain...