And so child 1 has left for her adventuring, off she has flown to the vivid colours, sights, sounds and smells of India. Social media and WiFi access where ever you go means that contact is so very easy. A quick WhatsApp or Messenger with a photo attached means that we can see everything she is upto with just a quick click of a button. She has shared the room they are in, their meals and the rubbish left in the streets. She starts her golden triangle exploration tomorrow, starting at Agra, so no doubt there will be lots more pictures to see and lots of adventures to hear about. I am so very excited for her and yet so very wistful for those times when she needed me.
Our children arrive, some as tiny bundles, some toddling around and some quite grown up. None of them arrive with an instruction manual. And so we spend our days, weeks, years helping build, renovate and extend these, our children's foundations. Our aim is to give our children roots and wings, except no one tells you what happens when they spread their wings to fly away. When they go, they unknowingly take a piece of our hearts with them and unaware of the gift they carry, they tend to not take care of it.
We are left on the peripheral watching, ready to step in to help when asked but otherwise left watching.
