Setting our sights for home after dropping the baby girl...

I do believe that the highway to Chowan is 5 hours of riding in the sky.  The sky comes down to meet you.  I really didn't think Mrs. Day would be on cloud duty.   My surprise was great on the way there in that she was not just on cloud duty, but she was intent on entertaining me with delightful creatures doing and dancing all around us.  She has become quite the animator, in my years of getting to know her.  She was rejoicing with me and all of the mothers who know that they may never live to see an empty nest.   Each movement in that direction is a moment of progress.

I had to giggle a few times at the allusions to the Olympics that she made.  There were creatures diving and playing sports, running, etc.  Once we got to the campus, I lost track.  The last lap around the campus before we left her was spectacular.

You could see this beautiful storm brewing in the distance.  It looked as though you could see the first half of our trip's weather pattern.  The dark, dark cloud formation looked like a little praying child in a "mea culpa" stance on the knees and the big cloud was a huge welcoming face.  They got closer and closer to each other until the forehead of the little one became one with the forehead of the big face.  The silver lining was radiant and the angel slides were coming down from the formation at regular intervals.  I remember thinking, I do hope we are not going that way.  When we got to the highway and we were certainly going that way, I was grateful for the warning from heaven.  It was beautiful, even with my heart heavy from departing from my little chick.

Ordinarily, the cows have something to say about our departure trip.  This time it was an instructional visit about how to eat and how they keep their strength up by eating every half hour or so.  I didn't hear them for my talking.   Ev told me that part.

Well, before the tempest,  I looked to the right and there was a young man whose eyes seemed aware of the danger we were entering.  He looked more fearful than I am.  It was right to be fearful.  The wind kicked up and the water sounded like it wanted to tear the roof off of the car.   We just pulled over to the shoulder, until we could see again.  We went through lesser and lesser storms until the rain and the dark clouds were behind us.  A beautiful pink and orange sunlit sky was to our right.  That is the side that reminds me of "footloose", for some reason.  It was brighter than neon and a little dark cloud pattern looked like Santa and his sleigh was in front of the curtain of neon.   I hope that means someone got saved and heaven is rejoicing greatly.

Of course, we didn't have a camera!;)

A Cloudless sky directed us 5 hours to my baby.

Speak O Lord and renew our minds Help us grasp the heights of Your plans for us. Truths unchanged from the dawn of time that will echo down through eternity and by grace we’ll stand on Your promises and by faith we’ll walk as you walk with us Speak O Lord till Your church is built as you fill the earth with Your glory.

She's home, I rejoice. This new hymn that I found at a delightful church we visit is my meditation this week. I thought about jumping to reach a cloud, when I thought about grasping the heights of His plans for us. What a delightful thought. He is higher than the clouds, the sky told me. All the way to Evie. She's home now. Imagine that. 10 hours seemed a moment for the joys of seeing my baby home.

Not so lost this time... But we got her back to school in only 10 hours on a Sunday

Happy birthday, Jackie, Did you have a great party? So sorry to have missed it. Much love to You Jack!

I finished the blankie that I was making for her on the journey and we didn't get as lost as we did, on the way to get her.

I fell asleep{I'm the "nagivator", I mean "navigator"} on the way to get her for Thanksgiving this year. I woke up and we were in Roanoke, VA. We had missed the fork to go toward Raleigh and had stayed on 85 instead. I loved it. A wonderful lady gave us directions, we don't really know how to use En's gps feature on his phone and he wasn't with us. So, the human element of asking for directions was terrific. We were only 90 miles to the west of the school and it looked like a straight shot on the map. We took 158 and I really enjoyed it, because they had something other than cotton on the sides of the road to entertain me. Ben was getting unusually peaved because it was another country road with slow drivers in front of us. We started talking country and pretending that we were the cop that would pull us over. We were rolling in laughter all the way into Chowan. Thank God, we didn't get pulled over and we didn't lose anytime, it seemed at all.

My Emmy drove home this time and she knows streets like the back of her hand, so I went to sleep, about an hour from home. She really doesn't need a "Navigator, Nagivator" for driving. This time there wasn't as much cotton on the sides of the road, it had been harvested. I saw cows on the side all the way and they were also very social to us, surprisingly so.

The sky was nearly cloudless and I asked EVv to keep her computer in the car and not to put it in the trunk, because I just knew a story about the cows and the sky would hit me and I would need to write it down. That's not what happened. We talked about the birthday party that we missed and how Addy makes me remember when Jackie and Ju were born. I remember spilling the juice all over the kitchen floor and mommy sliding into the kitchen like it was home base. They laughed at the thought of us being little enough to try to climb up the cuckoo clock. It's great to talk about old memories, while making new ones.

My American Doll goes home to college, today.

The nest is certainly not the same without her. But she is delightfully growing wise and knowledgeable, while away from us. We went to the American Girl Doll store that newly opened down here. The last time we went there she was 10 and it was in NY. She was a little child and they all saw the lights and the beauty of the store and we all wanted to grow up to be American Girls. I guess we all are growing to be who we are. That is a really great store. Now onto the trek 10 hours to take her back. Her blankie that I am working on is almost finished.

Nearly Chowanautical...

This is a riproaring weekend for us, anticipated. The older crew is going to Chowan with the college woman for orientation. I have to stay home for the middleschool fellow to get to camp on Sunday. I have my post to participation in the team play. I am disappointed not to hear how the Baptist College orients the parents to college life.

I was really helped by the Lutherans when we went through this for Elyse. I was hoping for more parenting tools from the Baptists at this occasion. I am sure that they will clue me in and bring me on board, when they get back from this long trip.

We are really only as old as our eldest distant child, I think. So now I am growing into 5 hours old. How long can you hold your breath to get to your child if she needs you and you are crying. Faith is stretched that far and your heart is stretched out of sync when they are that far away. I don't care for facetime and the phone for communication and that distances me further or causes my heart to reach in prayer that far.

Can Mommies move to Chowan?

No, you have to stay home this trip and that is part of my personal orientation. Trusting that their father can ask the right questions and participate more in his way in the process of letting go. Not really letting go, but offering out. Extending our own reach, is more like it. Let's hope we are up for the challenge of this. I think we are. Will Ezra get back from camp 4 whole days distant from us? All of these prayer requests are brooded to God in prayer and I know He has it in control and no amount of my worry will make it turn out any differently. He never sleeps or slumbers and He cares for my children more than I do. Thank you God for your massive care for us.