What a glorious day it is today. It's raining with a capital R! It's the epitome of an "Oregon" day.
So I have about a million things I want to share with you - pictures from swaps, projects, and Rhonna's 21 Day Challenges but I need to pause to bring you up to speed with something exciting happening in Geller Land. I'd first like to share this amazing excerpt from Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet. If you have children, know someone who has children, or you are someone's child, please take a deep breath and spend a few moments being present with me and read through this.
And a woman who held a babe against her bosom said, Speak to us of Children.
And he said:
Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you, yet they belong not to you.
You may give them your love but not your thoughts.
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.
You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;
For even as he loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable.
I cannot get through this passage without tears. I discovered it about 15 years ago, well before Miranda's adolescence. It has always lived inside me. Especially the line, "And though they are with you, yet they belong not to you." That single line got me through times when I struggled with Miranda's morals and ethics, particularly during her teen years. I felt like she didn't have any. But I've since realized, they were just different than mine. Different than mine? That realization was SO powerful for me. Years later, after all her changes, experiences and maturation, I now know her to be one of the most ethical, kindest, and honest people I know. To think I was so worried back then.
So what's the news you ask? On October 22, Miranda will be catching a one-way flight to Hawaii. Kihei, Maui to be specific. She has sold most of her clothes and possessions, didn't sign her lease, and gave notice to her current employer. I'm almost hesitant to say that she is "moving" to Hawaii because the plan is that she will live there for a month and then come back (hopefully be here for her 21st birthday) and then she'll figure out her next step. She may move back to Hawaii, she may live with us for awhile and go to school, or she may be ready to do the traveling she has always wanted to do. China, Berlin, and South America are places high up on her long list of places she wants to travel to and live.
Miranda's best friend from high school moved to Hawaii right after they graduated (about two years ago) and has always said anytime Miranda wants to stay with her, she is welcome. About a year ago, Miranda was ready to move there. She asked us to buy her a ticket. We said no. It just wasn't the right time. Miranda was still living at home, not working, not going to school. This was right after her suicide attempt and she was lost. We certainly did not want her to be "lost" in another state with an ocean in between us. This wasn't necessarily a control issue but a safety issue. Miranda's emotional and physical safety.
Well, fast forward one year later and Miranda is a completely different person. I would now categorize her as a responsible and reasonably happy young woman. She has matured and grown up SO MUCH! You would not believe it!! She takes care of herself and is a good person. At her house, her roommates and friends call her the "House Mother." She has a savings account, takes care of the household finances, keeps the house clean (again, reasonably) and makes sure anyone that comes through their door is welcome and fed. Wow.
I've been thinking non-stop about this and I realized that I am nervous but excited for Miranda. SO excited! What an adventure! I'm just so happy for her! I really think she NEEDS this! I also realized that if she had ignored our concerns and would have pushed to move to Hawaii when she wanted to, there would have been no excitement in this. I would have been nervous AND scared. Miranda would have been running away from life. Now she running towards life.
Oh and another thing about this quote...the night Miranda told Glen and I about her decision to move, she had returned my pocket-sized copy of The Prophet that she had borrowed when she went camping. When she handed it to me, I quickly turned to the page that had this quote and read it out loud. I got through it, but it wasn't easy. (You KNOW what a softie, emotional person I am!!!). We were all quiet and we just all kind of took a breath and it was at that point that we all knew that our beautiful arrow has left our hands, with gladness. :-)