Girl 2 Girl: Keeping All Your Eggs
Seems like a funny title right? Well today is the first day of school for my girls, 3rd and 5th grade oh boy… and of course with the first day comes pictures and more pictures along with all those feelings of joy, pride, and pure happiness that your children are smiling, growing and have good little hearts, and then comes the other side of thought; summer’s over once again and we have to let go, let them get those highlights in their hair or a touch of lipstick (tastefully chosen and applied) kiss, hug, smile, wave and trust that all will be well at school.
But today after watching the monstrous yellow keeper of my children drive away I just wanted to cry…over the years that pass and the changes that come, and it’s all inevitable that one day they will leave us, take our hearts they carry around with them like stuck satchels wherever they go and they’re off to build their own lives.
These thoughts and so many more all came pouring out as I’m driving down our quiet country road, birds singing and a coyote pup peeking out of the woods…no kidding. I did say country after all, and so naturally sometimes with that comes chickens.
While sipping tea there’s the every day squawking of our sweet hens laying their eggs, poor darlings- it kills me. I’m outside counting now 1-2-3-4- ok where’s the fifth?
I open the top coop and there she is spread out sitting on a bundle of eggs as they each lay one a day and they are delicious!
I gently put my hand under to check her crop and see what she’s got and the little stinker pecks my finger like, “Ah-I don’t think so lady! These babies are mine.”
And I just stood there…thought for a second and said, “Ok Carrie, (yes, we named them) I get it- completely.” And I walked away to let her have her time.
Maybe it’s silly, but in that moment this chicken and I weren’t too different, and she made me think that it’s during moments of growth, milestones with our children and even with ourselves that all we want to do is just “keep our eggs,” treasure what’s ours, protect, and covet our kids, families, even our imaginations and our youth.
It’s so difficult to just let go, each to varying degrees. We’re always changing and that’s such a beautiful thing, and yet sometimes all you want is to hold on.
Before I began writing, I realized I was way over due to change my screensaver to their new first day pictures, and as I did I couldn’t help but scroll through old photos of chubby legs and baby-fat cheeks in their first experiences with school. Wow! I hadn’t looked at them in a while and it was such a change/wake up call of how fast the time goes and how it’s totally out of our control.
I guess that’s why we cherish each and every day.
My Mom always liked the saying, Yesterday is history, tomorrows a mystery, but today is a gift…that’s why we call it the present!
I guess it’s time to go out and check for eggs.
I wonder if she’s ready? Am I? Are you?
Ciao Bella
Posted by Janel M. Harrison
on September 5, 2013. Filed under Girl-2-Girl.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0.
You can leave a response or trackback to this entry