Well, we had a little time to unwind after the graduation celebrations, then it was on to Tennessee. One of the best things we did there was "Customs", the orientation program for new students at Middle Tennessee State University. It was an intense two-day event which included tours, overviews of the different areas of study, meetings with advisors for the students and information sessions for the parents. The weather in Tennessee was about as hot as it gets while we were there, but luckily they alternated walking tours of campus with air-conditoned seminars. I went with our daughter the first day, hubby the second day.
Soon after we arrived on campus and registered, my girl was off to take some placement tests. I stood on the front steps of the James Union Building and watched her walking away--around the curve and in front of Kirksey Old Main (see photo above). Kirksey was the business building when I went to school at MTSU and where most of my classes were. I think now it is all office space and one side seems to be closed entirely--our tour guide says the building is sinking into the ground at an alarming rate, so they're probably trying to decide what to do with it. It is a beautiful, historic building on campus, and personally I hope they find a way to save it. There was some feeling I had watching my daughter walk that same sidewalk I had trod hundreds of times, the remembrance of the excitement and energy of youth. As a parent I feel the weight of years of experience now...as I watch her walk away I worry--"will she be happy here?", "is it too far from home?", "have I taught her everything she'll need to know?" For every question, though, there's an answer--yes, I think she'll be very happy. Yes, it's far from mom and dad, but she'll have grandparents, friends, and cousins who live very near. And NO, I've probably not taught her everything she needs to know. Some of it she'll learn on her own and become more mature and independent because of it. And for other things, well, I'm glad we have cell phones and the internet!!
Her future's so bright, I think I need to wear the shades to look at her! For me, as a mom, it will be one more bigger opportunity to trust. Because there is One who loves her more than even I do, and He holds her days in the palm of His hand. May both of us, mother and daughter, learn and grow in the days ahead!
