Yesterday, we took my children to the airport to send them across the country to visit their father for six weeks. After all the laundry and packing was done last night, we spent the better part of the evening preparing for the transition. There were tears and long hugs, and after a restless night’s sleep, we left for the airport by 8:00am.
The airport process for unaccompanied minors is a well-oiled machine, mostly because they have the parents stay with the children right up to boarding and meet them on the other side as soon as they disembark. I wasn’t aware of this part of the show until I checked them in, and I have to say, I am grateful for the additional time we had with them.
Since the plane was delayed by an hour, we shared one final meal at a little airport restaurant. Surrounded by large screen TVs boasting every kind of sport imaginable, we were able to relax into one another’s company and the eventuality of their departure with grace and a calm strength. It’s amazing how food can bring such peace when shared with loved ones.
As I look back on the tears shed and the emptiness that still sits heavily in my chest, I am struck with the beauty of the statement, “absence makes the heart grow fonder.” We all have, at some point in our lives, had a reunion with a loved one after time spent apart and had a chance to reflect on the joy of sharing our experiences from our time apart with one another to enrich the together part of our journey.
Absence gives us a chance (opportunity to practice) to explore the true nature of our feelings toward our loved ones, the depth of our love and the admiration for their unique character traits and the things that make them special to us. How amazing would it be if we could learn to do this while yet in their company?
As my children sit happily in their father’s home and share meals around his table, I sit quietly around mine with Rev. Badger and reflect on the joy and love that I am blessed with every day, because I have three amazing children that mean the world to me. Their laughter and their tears, their triumphs and their lessons, their love and their disappointment, everything they experience and share with me is sacred and shapes the nature of our relationships. When they return, may I have the wisdom to keep experiencing them on this level of heightened awareness and appreciation for the beautiful gifts they are.
The airport process for unaccompanied minors is a well-oiled machine, mostly because they have the parents stay with the children right up to boarding and meet them on the other side as soon as they disembark. I wasn’t aware of this part of the show until I checked them in, and I have to say, I am grateful for the additional time we had with them.
Since the plane was delayed by an hour, we shared one final meal at a little airport restaurant. Surrounded by large screen TVs boasting every kind of sport imaginable, we were able to relax into one another’s company and the eventuality of their departure with grace and a calm strength. It’s amazing how food can bring such peace when shared with loved ones.
As I look back on the tears shed and the emptiness that still sits heavily in my chest, I am struck with the beauty of the statement, “absence makes the heart grow fonder.” We all have, at some point in our lives, had a reunion with a loved one after time spent apart and had a chance to reflect on the joy of sharing our experiences from our time apart with one another to enrich the together part of our journey.
Absence gives us a chance (opportunity to practice) to explore the true nature of our feelings toward our loved ones, the depth of our love and the admiration for their unique character traits and the things that make them special to us. How amazing would it be if we could learn to do this while yet in their company?
As my children sit happily in their father’s home and share meals around his table, I sit quietly around mine with Rev. Badger and reflect on the joy and love that I am blessed with every day, because I have three amazing children that mean the world to me. Their laughter and their tears, their triumphs and their lessons, their love and their disappointment, everything they experience and share with me is sacred and shapes the nature of our relationships. When they return, may I have the wisdom to keep experiencing them on this level of heightened awareness and appreciation for the beautiful gifts they are.
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