It was a scene we had shared before; we stood with our oldest daughter Lisa and prayed with her before saying ‘goodbye’ and leaving her in Beaverlodge, Alberta to begin a new adventure.  Just a few days earlier we shared a similar moment with our son, Scott as he boarded a plane to return to Ontario, and then once more a few days later the scene would repeat itself again as Andrea headed to Kelowna to begin her second year of nursing at UBCO. 

From the first moments of their lives, they went straight into my arms and an instant and irrational bond of love has kept them close through all of their growing up years.  There is part of me that wants to hold on tightly but I know we have to let go.  Though we have been down this path several times before…it’s still hard to say ‘goodbye’.

Christian singer / song writer, Michael W. Smith has written a song that captures what these moments are like for a mom and dad.

Tell me when the time we had slipped away
Tomorrow turned to yesterday and I don't know how                                                                                                                           
Tell me what can stop this river of tears
It's been building up for years for this moment now

Here I stand, arms open wide
I've held you close, kept you safe, till you could fly

Tell me why, why does following your dreams
Take you far away from me; and I knew that it would

Tell me how to fill the space you left behind
And how to laugh instead of cry and how to say goodbye