One has flown....

Katie and Tim left for Denver yesterday morning.  The Colorado campus was approved as part of the fiscal year 09 budget, so she was able to start on time, much to her relief.  They weren't 2 miles down the road on their way to the airport before Malia was texting Katie, asking to borrow certain items of clothing she had left behind.   Katie told me a few weeks ago that she didn't want Molly going through her stuff, and I promised her I would put it up in the attic if she organized it for me.  But I hadn't had the chance yet.  So Katie called me back and told me what Molly could wear.  This afternoon, Molly was "off" saying she didn't feel well most of the day, one thing or another (she does have a follow up for her kidney stones on Tuesday).   Tonight, she said she didn't feel like going to CYO or "talking to people" because she felt sick, and asked me to feel her forehead.  She didn't feel warm to me, and I asked her what's really going on.  She started crying and told me she misses Katie!!!  I expected this and saw it from Megan, who is close to Katie, but I told Mollly I was surprised she felt that way, considering the wretched way she and Katie have treated each other for the past two years.  Maybe their spending time apart will give them a greater appreciation for one another.  Maybe there is hope yet!

I can't fully describe how I feel about Katie's departure.  I have had several friends call me and ask if I am OK.  I am!  I am so incredibly proud of and excited for Katie.  She will do well, and this program is such a good fit for her.  She is very gregarious, and I have no doubt she will make friends.  I don't think she will miss home much, if at all.  I hope she will make the most of her opportunities to see different places and experience life, and that she will come home with a sense of accomplishment, a broader outlook on the world, and a sense of her place in it.  I trust her to make the right decisions when faced with tough choices, and I know she is a good kid, with strong faith.  I can't help but think she will positively impact the people she encounters in the next 10 months.  I realize that this is only the first step towards full flight - I don't know yet, nor does she, what she will do at the end of her 10 months with Americorps.  But, she will figure it out. 

She and Tim have been texting and sending pictures of the things they are doing and seeing in Denver.  I am so glad he flew out there with her - it sounds like they are having a fabulous time together.  He has apparently already scoped out the "bad" areas of Denver and told her where she should avoid going.  He will probably worry much more than I will, as that is his nature.  I know it won't be easy for him to say goodbye to her tomorrow morning.  I know we'll have some emotions to share tomorrow when he returns.  It's hard to believe that our first born is old enough to be venturing out on her own.  All the more poignant because Kiley looks so much like Katie when she was little, so she is a constant reminder.  There will be one less plate to set at the dinner table, and a little less laundry.  Shampoo might last a little longer, and there will be less hair clogging the drains.  We'll have a little more room in the pew on Sundays. We will miss her!  Megan is already counting the days until Katie comes home for Christmas...