The Tides Have Shifted

The tides have shifted again.
Only, it’s not my tide; it’s Ashley’s.
Yet, it is my tide, too. Wasn’t the cord cut?
No words describe our sweet bond of love.

Wasn’t the college graduation enough
To realize her maturity into adulthood?
Where does the concern come from
So deep in my soul for this dear wonder of mine?

To love and let go.
Is that what it’s supposed to be,
To give life and then loose hold of her
Into the hands of God, her real Father?

Off on her own down the road
Heading for who knows what point in her destiny.
Navigation system in the new car speaking
Proper English directions, getting her “home”.

Home? It is not home yet to her, for her.
The speeding train of college and life, friends
And familiarity disappear in a moment's notice.
Congratulations, you have graduated.

Grad party, pack up, kisses goodbye, drive off.
But, to where…Living out of boxes, where is the sun?
I didn’t imagine feeling this way, emotions flowing
As if dropped on a curb somewhere…..where?

Transition. All go through transitions.
This is mine. Oh, not Ashley’s only, but mine.
The cord stretched to the max. No, cut at birth.
Reveals the bond between mother and child.

“Lord,” I cry. “Take care of her for me.
She is beyond my reach and only in Your sight now.
Capture her heart so she relies only on You each day.
Holy Spirit, may she hear your whispers clearly.”

Copyright Carol Kindt
August, 2007
246 Dungeness Meadows
Sequim, WA 98382