She's Leaving on a Jet Plane

The day is nearly upon us. At exactly noon, central time, my little girl will take off from Will Rogers International Airport with her final destination being Rennes, France. She will arrive in Rennes at 2:45 p.m. on the 23rd and will be met by her host family, the Rouauds. I won't see her again for nearly a year.

This is a day we have worked towards for over a year now, and it has finally arrived. I greet it with a sense of pride mixed with a deep sadness. My girl is no longer a child. We have now entered into a new phase in our relationship. I've always known that this was inevitable, but nothing one can do or say can really prepare you for it. It happens and it hits you in the face like a cold bucket of ice water. I've had knots in my guts for three days now and I've had a difficult time sleeping, but no tears yet. Tomorrow I may cry.