I really miss hugging my three daughters every day, but I’m comforted knowing they’re doing well and thriving at university. Physical closeness has always been my love language — reading their expressions, holding hands, sharing meals, giving hugs, dancing together. Sometimes I know I cross into their personal space bubble, and I get that. I’ve always been an intense mother.
Now, with my daughters just a FaceTime away, I’m deeply grateful for the technology that keeps us connected. I’ve tried to live each season of life fully, boldly, and wholeheartedly — and in this new chapter, I’m still finding my footing.
It’s a real challenge because I truly enjoy their company and cherish our time together. But they’re growing in ways they can only grow on their own. They’re having adventures that only mean what they do because they’re navigating them independently.
One is in her final year of college; the other two are just beginning their first. It’s a season of “first lasts” and “last firsts,” and I feel every one of them.
I know this is part of the process — them going off to school, learning things from roommates and friends that I either tried to teach or simply forgot to. Apart from a few holiday weeks in November, December, and March, they won’t really live at home until May, and that changes the rhythm of everything.
Even my husband is adjusting to the quieter, less structured pace. He has helped us tackle long-overdue organizing projects, clearing out piles, purging what we no longer need. We’re keeping the memories, but letting go of the junk mail. We used to run three loads of laundry a day — now it’s one load every three days. The dishwasher used to run daily; now, I’m lucky if I use it once a week.
One way I’m trying to proceed forward in a healthy, positive way is by staying engaged in things that uplift me — volunteering with my school soccer team, working the scoreboard and clock at home varsity soccer games, and coordinating my monthly Dutch conversation group. These experiences bring fulfillment outside of teaching and help me build meaningful friendships along the way.
Live fully in each season of life.
Leave A Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.