Going Places
---
It was early Friday morning. For the last two hours, K had busied herself doing the last minute things a young woman does before a trip. I half-way listened to her preparations as the sounds echoed down the hallways to my bedroom on the other side of the house.
I had awakened at the ungodly hour of 4:00 am, gotten dressed and opened the plantation shutters to a crescent moonlit backyard. The backyard sprinklers had started their cycle and I watched mesmerized, wondering if I should fix a cup a coffee to stimulate a proper brain stem response.
No, she needs to do this on her own. A father's advice isn't needed this morning. Even so, I opened the double doors to my bedroom to let her know I was available for emergencies, and then promptly flopped back onto my welcoming, king-size, pillow-top bed for a semi-conscious, one-eye dad sleep.
It was suddenly quiet. I looked over at the alarm clock and saw that it was getting close to her departure. I gathered up what I could of my brain and sauntered over to her side of the house.
She was looking into her bathroom mirror, ensuring everything was where it should be. K looked great and I told her so. She beamed and hugged me. "Thank you, Dad".
It was a hug needed by both of us. Though she was the one taking the trip, we were both making journeys that day. Within fifteen minutes, she was on her way. With a quick kiss, a hug and an "I love you, Dad. See you later", she was gone. Godspeed, K.
It was close to lunch time when I checked the Sidekick for emails. There was one from K. She had arrived and was enjoying lunch in a nice restaurant on a mountain top. I had to smile. She was having a good time.
She closed with, "And, thanks for everything. Love, K".
I knew what she meant. And she knew what it meant to me, as a father, to hear that.
In future years, she will be a mother. From a distant city, she will hear the same words from her daughter and feel her face flush. She'll share the precious moment with me just as I shared it with my mother.
K's message was important not only to me, but to my Mom as well. My Mom now knows the love she gave to me was passed on to K and K will pass it on to her family.
Just thinking about that makes me smile.
---
It was early Friday morning. For the last two hours, K had busied herself doing the last minute things a young woman does before a trip. I half-way listened to her preparations as the sounds echoed down the hallways to my bedroom on the other side of the house.
I had awakened at the ungodly hour of 4:00 am, gotten dressed and opened the plantation shutters to a crescent moonlit backyard. The backyard sprinklers had started their cycle and I watched mesmerized, wondering if I should fix a cup a coffee to stimulate a proper brain stem response.
No, she needs to do this on her own. A father's advice isn't needed this morning. Even so, I opened the double doors to my bedroom to let her know I was available for emergencies, and then promptly flopped back onto my welcoming, king-size, pillow-top bed for a semi-conscious, one-eye dad sleep.
It was suddenly quiet. I looked over at the alarm clock and saw that it was getting close to her departure. I gathered up what I could of my brain and sauntered over to her side of the house.
She was looking into her bathroom mirror, ensuring everything was where it should be. K looked great and I told her so. She beamed and hugged me. "Thank you, Dad".
It was a hug needed by both of us. Though she was the one taking the trip, we were both making journeys that day. Within fifteen minutes, she was on her way. With a quick kiss, a hug and an "I love you, Dad. See you later", she was gone. Godspeed, K.
It was close to lunch time when I checked the Sidekick for emails. There was one from K. She had arrived and was enjoying lunch in a nice restaurant on a mountain top. I had to smile. She was having a good time.
She closed with, "And, thanks for everything. Love, K".
I knew what she meant. And she knew what it meant to me, as a father, to hear that.
In future years, she will be a mother. From a distant city, she will hear the same words from her daughter and feel her face flush. She'll share the precious moment with me just as I shared it with my mother.
K's message was important not only to me, but to my Mom as well. My Mom now knows the love she gave to me was passed on to K and K will pass it on to her family.
Just thinking about that makes me smile.
---
posted by Mike Chandler | 11:23 AM
1 Comments:
What a lovely story.
Post a Comment
<< Home