All feelings are intensified exponentially when we have grandchildren. We are lifted to unspeakable joy when good things happen to and for them. We are dropped into an abyss of sorrow and pain when bad things occur. …And all of the sensations in between? The same: we experience them fully for ourselves, for our children and for our grandchildren.
Right now I am on a roller coaster.
Your darling daughter got on a plane. She is in a strange home in a foreign country, has limited language skills and none of us have ever met her host family.
Ai-yai-yaiiiiiiiiiiiiii!
I’m so excited for her. I’m so afraid. A blank wall of unknowns rises up in front of me when I try to follow her in my mind.
I don’t know what to say to you. There are no words. The child is applauded for her courage, but she can’t be allowed such bravery without courageous parents who have opened their arms to let her go.
You have prepared her to be an adventuress. And she is!
I will try to keep my fears to myself, cheer her on, and fill the hollow spot in my chest with strong faith and great gratitude.
xxoo
A Letter to my Children 