A Reality Check

My daughter is in the process of moving across the country - quite literally. She flew out last week. People have wondered how well I'm doing. "Good!" I reply in all earnestness. I'm excited for them, and am a real lover of adventure.

Their little apartment was still full as of last night. Rick and I have been busily boxing up the remaining items, sorting the keepers from the tossers.

Today the movers arrived, right on time.

And today the sadness hit. I packed their final belongings, then they loaded her piano in the back of the moving van. That was the last thing to pack. She is gone, the home she created across the way has seemingly dissipated into thin air, and their time there is history.

But my eyes had misted once already - before the final reality check of the moving van pulling away. It happened as I sorted through the bottom drawer of a dresser designated by her as the first drawer to be opened upon arrival in California. It contained essentials such as one set of queen-sized bed sheets, two full sets of plastic plates and cups, a few necessary sundries, and one other item. In the very bottom was placed a Mary Engelbreit calendar page - a sketch of a woman on a porch or beach looking at a sunset, smiling wistfully. The quote?

Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened.

What a brave girl, what a wonderful lover of God and eternity, what a treasure she is. And what a privilege to know her and watch her grow.

Need I say more?