I have recently had to remind myself of this mind-set after realizing that everything little thing that I've worried about for my son no longer matters. He's his own man. It's in God's hands. I've done what I could. I've raised him to be a good, moral, God-loving man. The rest is up to him. I'm not saying that I've turned off every worry that crosses my mind. But, I've re-evaluated what I was doing and reminded myself that I don't control it. I'm not "helicopter" parenting him (as one friend calls it). He's at college, I'm at home. What good does worrying do? I'll tell you what worrying does do, it robs you of the time you now have with your spouse.
My husband and I were talking the other night and he said something very interesting. This is the first time in our 22 years that we've been really "alone" and able to do all the things that we only ever talked about. We can take a vacation during the school year if we wanted. We don't have to check the calendar to see if there is a game this weekend before making plans. Don't get me wrong...we loved going to my son's games and we were at every one. But the difference is now that after 19 years our time is ours again and we need to make it count.
So am I sad that another birthday is in the books? Not in the least. My life has had many challenges and I'm grateful for the years that I've had. I'm looking forward to hanging out with my husband, trying new things and seeing new places. So bring on the birthdays, the candles, the funny cards and the old lady jokes...I relish it and thank God for every day that I'm alive.
