It was a little over 18 years ago when we welcomed her into our world. She came in with a bit of trouble, but then nothing truly worthwhile ever comes easily, right? We did our best through the years ... teaching, giving guidance, giving grace, increasing her opportunity to choose. I'm really very proud of the woman she has become. So just a week ago now, we set her off officially on her own Crooked Path, a fork in the road for mine and my wife's. She's a few hundred miles away exploring, learning, getting frustrated and working things out for herself. I'm still available to guide, but things are definitely different.
This is what we're supposed to do, or so my friends tell me. We raise them up, instilling a love for God and awakening their heart's desire for the Mystery in it all. We pray most certainly (probably now more than ever) and we drive away with some tears (I did well until Sunday when I told her my final good bye). It's different for each one, especially when it's the first like it is for me and a couple of my friends this year. Yet there is a common thread, and that really comes down to the fork in the path.
It's a new beginning for all of us. As I watched things unfold around me last weekend, I was struck by how much life and hope and dreams were on display. It was so very different from my less-than-stellar choice some 34 years ago. There was a freedom I could sense ... there were young adults who were hesitant yet confident. In our case, Anderson welcomed 700 Freshman plus another 100+ transfers. That's a lot of change (and I'm a project manager by trade - I know change). That's a lot of forks in a whole lot of Crooked Paths. And it was very evident that Father God was present in that place because his beloved children were starting something new. I have to imagine he was grinning from ear to ear with all that fresh excitement.
So my Crooked Path continues, different now because of her new beginning. Her Crooked Path - her very own - really gets started now. I'm still the dad and she will always be my first baby girl, but this is a new beginning. She took a fork in the path I'm not supposed to follow ... in fact I really can't follow it. I can still see it from my own, but it's her path to travel now. That's the way it is supposed to be. And I think I'm OK with that ... yeah, I know I am. We're both right where we should be.
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