Ageless Passions by Karen Putz

Tag: letting go

  • Parenting During the College Years

    Letting go isn’t easy.

    Not even the second time around.

    Today is Move In day for my daughter, Lauren. The little girl is now a college student and today’s the day I have to let go and say goodbye. Three years ago, the hubby was with me when we said goodbye to David. The tears started flowing during our final hug and the tears didn’t stop until well into the long drive home.

    I’m lying here in bed with my daughter next to me and the tears are already flowing this morning. I’m thankful she has her older brother on campus to ease the transition for her. As for me, I’ve discovered the transition is even harder the second time around. The first time around, you have no clue what’s coming around the bend. You have no idea that the reins of parenthood keep getting looser and looser, until your child becomes this young adult who no longer shares the minute details of their life. You have no idea that one day, you’ll have to beg for FaceTime in between classes, clubs, and social engagements. You have no idea that they’ll eventually plan vacations without the family.

    But the second time around, you know all this. The second time, you hang around just a little bit longer before letting go.

    IMG_3200.JPG

  • In Praise of Meditation

    20121012-112108.jpg

    Every day, I spend some time meditating in quiet thought. I start with some gratitude, for I find it gets me in a good frame of mind. Then I spend some time “sitting for ideas,” a process I learned from Debra Poneman.

    I love finding new places to meditate surrounded by nature. This morning, I went out to a dock in Winter Haven surrounded by reeds. It was the perfect place to be alone in thought.

    I had been feeling so weighed down for a while, the result of going in too many different directions. It’s that lovely “ADD” aspect of me. I try hard to control it, but sometimes I let it get the best of me.

    After the go-go-go of the last several weeks, the stillness of the morning took over. I sat there for a long time. A hawk flew overhead. I thought of my friendMary Clark who passed away recently and I began to cry.

    A good, cleansing cry. I needed it.

    As I stood up to walk back, a bird flew out from the reeds. It was a red-winged blackbird.

    My dad.

    /missin-dad-one-year-later/