I think you finally know what the true meaning of parenthood is when you find yourself crying (out of fear) and laughing (out of pride) while telling your eldest son that you are excited for his new life…..and the fact that he is leaving home.
As we move into this very special time of year filled with graduations from all levels of academia,
we must remember what a gift it is to have the opportunity to be a parent….watching our children grow…molding them into adults …and then, heartbreakingly, letting them go. It is a joy that is difficult to explain.
This is a time of unrelenting pride and maybe some deep-seated sadness as, while we look on to our children starting their lives, it also means our lives as parents will be changing as well.
During the next few months we will be celebrating parenthood with both Mother’s Day in May and Father’s Day in June. We should always take this time to remember our parents as, in most cases, they lived with us for the better part of 18 or 19 years before letting us go into the world. We may not remember all of those years, but our parents do; and, while as children we gleefully marched down the road of life, we were sometimes leaving behind a huge hole in our parents’ lives….but this the way it is supposed to be…this is the essence of our human condition.
Loving parents are special commodities and, not surprisingly, we will be celebrating Mothers and Fathers at The Barn with some special events and gifts. Plan to make The Barn a place to look for that special item for your Mother or Father…we will be happy to help you search ‘Barn-wide’ for that unique token of your love and appreciation.
From one parent to many others of you out there…enjoy these graduations of life your special children are taking and remember your own parents as you now will have the opportunity to see them eye-to-eye with love and distinctive understanding.
To my Mom and Dad.…I get it now. I love you both!!
To my wonderful children…enjoy!!
