A New Beginning Means Something Had to End

 Olivia and Danya: Lifelong friends

Hey Everybody,

Olivia came over to say good-bye to Danya just before she left for college. (She'll be attending Montreat in North Carolina and playing soccer for them, while Danya is heading for a local university. Both these homeschooled students are going to the schools they have dreamed of attending, both on scholarships, and both desire to share Jesus with their generation.) I knew I had to be strong for my friend Sandy, but I declare, as Olivia was getting out of the car, I started to tear up! So much for being strong for my friend!

Sandy was doing remarkably well, but then we started taking some pictures of these two gals and she was getting all misty-eyed too!

If you're joining me today after reading my guest post over at the ParentLife Blog, welcome! By way of introduction, my daughter Danya and her friend Olivia have homeschooled together since they were in pre-school. (Sandy and I may have been a little eager, but we were in "learning-as-we-go" mode, and I wouldn't trade those early days for anything!)

When it came to their "fond farewell," the girls were fine, of course, because they both have a clear sense of purpose as they pursue the next phase of their education and the next season of their lives. I wanted them to do a silly pose for this pic (above) but the more I look at it, the more I see it as an illustration of all the emotions we feel as parents when it's time to let go. (They really are hysterical, aren't they? LOL) We want to hang on. But the car is right there behind them. When it's time to go, it's time to go.

Thirteen years ago, the speaker at the girls' kindergarten graduation (yes, we had a speaker, baby--my friend Sandy does it RIGHT! LOL!) who drew this illustration:

A traditionally schooled education is like being at the airport. When your flight is taking off, it is going in the air with or without you. If you're in the bathroom, or getting a drink, or just running late, the flight takes off as scheduled. But with homeschooling, you [the parent] are flying the plane. You decide the schedule, and you take off when your child is ready. In other words, you take as long as you need. Subject by subject, you don't move on academically until your child is ready. And by the same token, you don't waste time loitering at the gate when your child is chomping at the bit to proceed!

Those were wise words of encouragement for a homeschool kindergarten graduation. However, with high school graduation, I'm learning, it is no longer my plane to fly.

Bittersweet.