Monday, February 12, 2007

My Daughters


Johanna and Hillary, at the top of the Eiffel Tower.


I had a dream Saturday night that Johanna and Hillary were in Paris and they were fighting, like they did when they were 9 and 8 years old.
Glad it was just a dream.
This has been a part of life that I've had some difficulty adapting to, this being a parent with kids who have left home. I'm not missing them terribly, nor do I wish they were still here. But they've always been around. Lauralea and I were together for a couple of years before the kids started coming, so most of our lives have been spent together as a family.

We're still family, just more of a dispersed one.

It feels strange. I still catch myself occasionally walking through an empty house at night, surprised with the truth that they are gone, out creating lives of their own.

But at times when I'm weirded out by their absence, I am encouraged and at peace because of how well they are doing on their own. They are becoming amazing well rounded young women, and I don't mean that physically.

I am very proud of our kids and how they are living their lives and making choices. They are making opportunities for themselves that I never would have had imagined. They are smart, bright people with their feet firmly grounded in reality. No, they are not perfect, so they can still have room to grow. But they seem to have priorities in place to help them make the best decisions possible.

They are an impressive bunch, and I like them.

Really.

7 comments:

  1. Good heavens! For a moment I thought that was a young Randall and Laura on top of the old tour.

    :-)

    But good for them, going out and discovering old Europe together. Your pride in them is well placed.

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  2. Saw you at the hospital today. You look tired. Are you doing okay?


    By the way, beautiful picture of your girls.

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  3. Although I don't know them in this blogging way I feel like I do and perhaps someday I will have a chance to get to know them.

    They are lucky girls to be in Paris and experiencing it together. I am sure it is something that will bond them together.

    We have friends who have grown children that all really enjoy being together and go out of their way to spend time together in a way I rarely see among siblings. I always thought they should teach parenting classes.

    I see a lot of that in what I read on you children's blogs and in your pictures of them. Perhaps you could teach a few classes yourself.

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  4. So far, so good...........;-)

    Now we should have pictures of mid-week, just to see how they're doing. I'm sure they will simply enjoy the uniqueness of their surroundings and see each other with "new" eyes. So exciting to see our children mature.

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  5. It's nice to hear somebody say that they never had any teenage problems with their kids. I would like to be able to say that I experience the same joy. But,(shudder) no, it was a nightmare. Do I wish those years back? No, only if I could change things, but we can't do that. However,something good came out of those hurtful years. Two out of my three three kids are born again Christians. I need prayer for my middle child. We will always worry about our kids in one way or another, be it sickness or whatever. My children are my life next to Jesus Christ. Of course,
    there is my husband (bless his soul) I love him dearly also. So,Randall and L.lea, praise your Lord above for yourn girls turning out the way that they did and give Him ALL the glory. LOL

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  6. Oooooooooooh Jean,

    Nope I never did say that we've never had any teenage problems with our kids. For me to say that would be akin to me saying that I'm the best dad ever, which would be a lie.

    Nope, in spite of myself and our struggles as a family and individuals in the family, and our occasional tensions, disagreements, or flat out fights, in spite of all that, things are turning out pretty cool. And God is indeed very good.

    I am deeply thankful for that.



    And Peggy, I've been thinking about that a lot lately. What makes a family close, what makes a family not-close?

    I don't yet know if we are a close family, or if we'll be a part of one another's lives in the future. I think as parents we can just do what we can do, and the kids decide how close they're going to be down the road.

    As for me and my siblings and parents, we are able to enjoy each others company and we laugh a lot. I like that. There doesn't seem to be a lot of tension underneath it all. But I think each person is responsible for making that happen.

    So I guess we'll see. I hope they can be open and honest with each other, and laugh together, and not feel tense with each other. But again, we'll see how lives get lived out and how choices are made.



    And thanks Ang. Lovely girls indeed.

    I think I am tired, beyond what a physical nap can cure.
    You've known that tiredness in your life too, I'm sure.

    But thanks for noticing.

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  7. rANDALL, by problems, I meant "drugs". I mean seriously. Anyway, as to being close to siblings, no, my boys are not close to each other. However, MY brothers and I are very close. So, go figure.

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