Reconnecting with your kid

My "kid" arrived this morning.  She is twenty-two now and she is a wonderful woman and when we hugged each other I thought we would never let go.

Being a parent has been the most gratifying job/experience I have ever had and my relationship with Zoe has given me so much of everything I love in life - challenges, joy, fun, hard work, anxiety (okay, I don't love that, but it's a part of life.)

I heard a good quote that Georgia O'Keefe said, "I've been terrified just about every moment of my life, but I never let it stop me from doing anything."  I remember when I gave birth to Zoe twenty-two years ago I was terrified of the responsibility I suddenly had for this human being.  And I can't say that I did a stellar job of parenting, in fact for many years I thought I should win the "worst parent ever" award.  Now I know I'm just like most parents - trying our best, failing at some things, doing pretty well at others.  The measure of a person is not about the externals - it's about who they are inside - and Zoe is a remarkable person who is becoming more her true self every day.  I am so grateful to have this week with her and I want to enjoy every moment.  Right now she's napping after taking the red eye, so I thought it would be a good time to write.  I don't know if I'll have much time to keep up with writing this week - at least not on the blog.  But I will simply say how grateful I am that we have a good relationship, because I know how difficult it can be, especially when divorce fractures a family.  It will be interesting to see how open we can be with each other about how these past seven months have been and also, to respect the boundaries we may need to put in place if it's too difficult to talk about.

Lucy and Lola went as predicted, completely nuts when they saw Zoe.  What can you say about our beloved pets?  They are simply the greatest, most loyal company anyone could ever have.