AuburnChick's Adventures

I just finished watching this week’s episode of Once Upon a Time, one of my favorite shows!

I must confess something.

I shed a few tears near the end when Snow and Emma (mother and daughter) hugged.

In case you have no idea what I’m talking about, let me just quickly get to the point by saying that Emma is Snow White and Prince Charming’s daughter, whom they had to send away to save from the evil queen.  Emma grew up without knowing who her parents were, and she’s been quite unforgiving even after learning about why they had to give her up.

Watching mother and daughter hug tugged at my own heart strings for, as you’re well aware if you’ve read my blog over the years, I’ve had my own tumultuous relationship with my very own Chicky.

It’s only been in recent months that I sense the healing that is taking place.

On Friday, I took 1/2 day off from work and drove to Lakeland to spend the weekend with my girl.

The weather was gorgeous…

The drive is a long one, but the beautiful scenery as I got closer, plus the knowledge that I’d be seeing my baby, made the hours spent in the car very worthwhile.

I arrived around 8pm local time and waited until Chicky returned from eating dinner.

I gifted her with a Halloween surprise before we headed to her dorm, where I would be camping out for the next couple of days…

The cat bag belonged to Chicky.  Shh.  Don’t tell Rooster, but Frankenstein will be mailed to him.

😀

Chicky chuckled and then moaned as she saw all of the stuff I’d taken on the trip…

Yeah.

I know.

Throw in the kitchen sink, and I’d be completely set, eh?

Chicky and I ran to Starbucks for a late-night treat, and she filled me in on some of the details of her life…the kind of stuff you don’t really talk about over the phone.

My heart hurt for her as she shared some personal challenges she’s been facing.

I could not help but feel so proud of her, though, because of the way she’s handling these challenges.

I won’t share details out of respect for her privacy, but I will say that she is certainly showing more grace (and extending it as well) than most people would given the same situation.

We returned to her dorm and settled in to watch a movie…one of our favorites…Phantom of the Opera.

That night, I slept on a cushioned chair thing that unfolds to become a bed.  I was quite content simply to be in the same room as my girl.

We slept until 9 or 10 and putzed around the dorm until it was time for Chicky to go to the locker room to prepare for her game.

I did a little bit of grading but spent most of my time reading.

Game time arrived, and it was HOT!!!!  Oh word!

I was happy, though, to be spending the day doing what I’ve done since Chicky was six years old…spending a Saturday watching soccer…

I sat and listened while people talked about my Chicky’s ability to maneuver the ball and beat everyone on the headers.  For a tiny thing, she gets more air than just about anyone I’ve ever seen.

The game ended tied, unfortunately, but the girls had played well, so they had nothing to be ashamed of.

Afterwards, I saw my nephew, and Chicky invited him to eat dinner with us.  What fun to watch the two of them chat.  My nephew is an amazing young man with a good head on his shoulders.  His sense of humor is very dry, which makes me chuckle all the more.

Later, we returned to the dorm and watched a bit of football.

Chicky wasn’t feeling too well.  Unfortunately, she’s becoming more and more sensitive to milk (she’s hating her gene pool right now because cheese is her favorite food), so I offered to rub her belly.

Totally not cool, let me tell you.

Instead, she “allowed” me to scratch her back.

I hopped up on her bed gleefully, and we spent the next hour chatting, watching TV, and talking with her roommate and her roommate’s friend, who was staying over as well.

The night ended with me crawling onto an air mattress out in the common room so Chicky’s roommate’s friend could have the cushioned chair/bed.

Sunday morning arrived all too quickly, and it wasn’t long before Chicky was escorting me to my car.

I.

Hate.

Goodbyes.

They are so tough…

Still…

After three years.

I put on my brave face, though, and hugged and kissed my girl.

She hugged me back.

I drove away from my girl, and I sighed as I left campus…

Which takes me back to the beginning of this post.

As I watched tonight’s episode play out, my mind returned to the evolution of my own relationship with my girl child.

There have been so many misunderstandings…so many hurts…that we’ve had to get through.

I’ve made a lot of mistakes, as is typical of a mama who wants desperately to have a better relationship than what she had with her own mother.  I’ve definitely over-compensated.

Chicky’s fought my iron-clad arms.

For so long there’s been a chasm between us that is finally, finally, finally beginning to close.

Oh, I realize that we don’t live in a fairy tale, and that happily ever afters cannot be had by sprinkling pixie dust around.

However, through God’s grace and mercy, we can and will have our own happy ending because we are choosing to forgive one another and move on, actively cultivating a relationship built on trust.

That is the best happily ever after that could ever be written.

Filed under: children | Tagged: childrearing, children, relationships |