Wednesday, March 25, 2009

New Beginnings


Today, I found this flower. It had burst through the earth to stand tall and proud, showing off its magnificent colors. There was no stopping it. It was meant to be. There were no other flowers in this particular area, but that did not stop it from moving forward.

This week, two of my "flowers" are reaching some big milestones. I'm not really sure how I feel about this. You see, Michael, will be 16 years old on Friday. Sixteen is such an important age in our lives. Sometimes I feel like he no longer "needs" me. He's growing up so fast. I can see him changing into a man already. He has a very sweet girlfriend with whom he spends a great deal of time. He has passed through the rebellious teenage years already and now we can sit and have adult conversations. Soon he will be driving! He is still my baby boy.

Felicia, will be 5 on Sunday. Tomorrow she will go to her kindergarten registration. I am not ready for this. It's not like I have never sent a child off to school before. I did it with the boys. We were all excited. They could not wait to go and I was thrilled that they would be able to branch out and learn so much more than I could teach them. For some reason, I just don't have that enthusiasm with sending Felicia out to the "big school". Maybe it's because she's a girl and I feel like I need to be there to thwart off any danger that she may encounter. But, that's not stopping my little girl. She is bursting forth with the same drive that the little flower had. Determined to stand tall even if I am not there to hold her hand......times are changing.


It's not so much that we're afraid of change or so in love with the old ways, but it's that place in between that we fear . . . . It's like being between trapezes. It's Linus when his blanket is in the dryer. There's nothing to hold on to.

Marilyn Ferguson

29 comments:

  1. The flower is GORGEOUS!! And milestones for sure--good luck!!

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  2. What a great post. And, from experience, I can tell you that although those 16 year old boys don't seem to need you as much anymore - they still do. And you'll see it in unexpected ways for a few more years to come.

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  3. Happy birthday to Michael and Felicia!! Both are approaching exciting periods in their lives!!

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  4. Just keep in mind that no matter how old they get, no matter where they may end up in life, they are still your babies!

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  5. Yes, change is inevitable but something I still have a hard time with.

    Beautiful flower. The purple petals are gorgeous, and of course the orange middle!

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  6. Love, love, love that quote! Hang in there!

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  7. Happy birthday to Michael! I remember when I turned 16 back in July. It seemed so big!

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  8. I really like the quote. I just registered my 3 yr old for preschool. Not sure I am up for that or not. Change is fun, sad, and of course gonna happen!

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  9. What a great picture to start a post! It cheered me up since our temps have dropped back down. Just wait til your baby gets behind the wheel, no more sleep for you!! You will still have one little one at home!
    Happy birthday to them both!

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  10. hello I am a fellow welcomista. stopping in to visit. gorgeous photo.
    awe they grow up too fast don't they?

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  11. Gotta love spring! Dandelions are great for popping up out of nowhere, too. Dang things.

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  12. This post brought tears to my eyes! I am so not ready for my babies to grow up!

    Xazmin

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  13. That flower is amazing! Welcome SPRING!

    You are definitely facing some changes with Michael turning the 16 and your baby girl getting ready to head off to kindergarten. It's tough on a mon's heart, isn't it? However, I have full faith that you will get through it with flying colors!

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  14. Stopping in from SITS! Have a great day. A beautiful flower. Kindergarten reg here is in April.

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  15. How beautiful... What a week you have going. Happy birthday to both of them!

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  16. what wonderful milestones, I know what you mean thugh my oldest just turned 13 she is becoming quite the young lady, we homeschool so I have seen every little detail of them growing up- which is a blessing most of the time:-)Not looking forward to anyone driving.

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  17. Wow, 16 and 5 are both two big milestones!

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  18. Lovely post! What a great comparison. Those are two major major milestones. It's crazy how quickly children and life change on us! Wow. What a week!

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  19. Happy Birthday to both of them. I've got a 17 year old and a 6 year old, so we had those big milestone birthdays last year. Time just flies!

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  20. I loved how you put the flower and your children together.

    You still have one more baby not going to school:)

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  21. Beautiful photo! I hope both have wonderful birthdays!

    We had registration for Kindergarten last week, so I completely understand not feeling ready for it! Good luck!

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  22. Sometimes change is hard. I know is for me.

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  23. Oh, and how the times change so QUICKLY!!

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  24. Wow those are some big events in your life. I am not there yet, but close. I have been having nightmares about my preschooler going to Kindergarten.

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  25. I like your quote at the bottom. SO TRUE!!!

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  26. So mama...how did you do on Friday??? 16. Wow. I can't believe how quickly it got here.
    I was watching a movie on Thursday. There was this mom & dad watching their daughter to through the front doors of college. Then, it flashbacked and showed her as a little girl walking through the school doors for the first time. I started sobbing. LOL

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  27. This was a great post! Beautiful flower, such a great comparison to your little one. ;-)

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