Monday, January 12, 2009

Silent Night



The sound that comes when they go is filled with echoes, soft wrappings of "Mom?" waft through the rooms, suddenly, out of thin air, snippets of a conversation, moments in time left in my lap to caress, to marvel over, like beautiful, shining gems. I replace the stuffed animals I got out for my son's dog to play with and I feel sad. It's a big cardboard box full of eager faces that greets me down in the basement, where the remnants of their childhoods sit, wating to be reclaimed when my son and daughter, perhaps, have families of their own. I can remember the story surrounding each and every one of those stuffed animals, how much they were cherished, and still they seem to smile expectantly, knowing that some day they will be called into service again. I don't think any of them had imagined becoming a chew toy for a young yellow labrador pup, but they don't seem to be any worse for the wear.

The sound of their voices, aloft in laughter....yet they are no longer here. They have returned to their homes. My children have grown and are gone from me. Watching them adjust to the adult world is, at times, far worse than watching ANY bicycle accident either of them EVER had.

Watching them hoist their belongings up over their strong shoulders as they hug and kiss us goodbye...goodbye Mom, goodbye Dad...goodbye Alex, goodbye Chloe....please come back to see us soon. And they leave us.

Our children are grown and gone now: one is in love and speaks of marriage, the other is still sailing alone.

My children have been raised, the raising is done, and it just doesn't seem right at ALL. You can't possibly realize it while you are doing the raising but there really IS just a very short period of time that we all have together, for wishing and dreaming, loving, teaching, learning....Before you know it, VOILA...your kids, as I keep saying, have grown, your life has changed. And sometimes, like after Christmas, it just seems wrong that you have to let them go.

2 comments:

Claudiacork said...

Wish my Mum wrote something like this. x Claude

Anonymous said...

CLAUD!!!!!! I LOVE IT that you were here!!!!!! i don't know how to put in my name and pw in the "choose an identity" area on here, so IT'S ME...CLAUDIAU.S.A.!!!!