Letting Go

Tonight, I let go.
I let go of my son's hand as he walked into Awana for the first time.
I let go of our dog, Kobe, as he left with his new family and his life ahead.
Both were hard to do.



Letting go of Luke...

Luke's been asking for a few weeks if he could go to Awana at his daycare friends' church. He hears his daycare friends talking about Awana and the fun they have there and he wanted to find out for himself. So, I looked into it, and, with the help of a fellow daycare mom, got Luke signed up and ready to begin. Tonight was the first meeting after Christmas break and Luke was ecstatic to get started! He talked about it last night, this morning, and first thing when we picked him up from daycare. He was ready for the adventure. I, however, was feeling strange the whole thing. I needed to let go. This was the first event/activity that I've signed Luke up for by himself, that neither Brent or I would be a part of. Luke was going to Awana, not us. Was he ready? You bet he was! I got him to the right class, he spotted his friends and his friend's mom and he was off into the room without hesitation. Thankfully, for this poor mom's sake, he turned to give me a quick hug and kiss before he disappeared into the class with his friends. I got the details I needed and I left. By myself. Not because I had something that I needed to do without Luke, but rather, Luke had something to do without me. This was a first and I'm not sure I like it. But, I'm learning to let go...



Letting go of Kobe...

After many heartfelt discussions between Brent and I, we made the difficult decision to find Kobe another home. And, tonight was the night. A few weeks ago we decided it was time to begin our search. We got the ball rolling by talking with the breeder we got Kobe from and posting an ad on petfinder.com. But, an everyday conversation with our daycare provider last week turned into the answer we were looking for. Our daycare provider's parents had owned a german shepherd in the past and were interested in meeting Kobe. All the details fell into place and they were able to come to Rochester tonight. We talked, asked each other questions about Kobe and his potential new home, and it sounded perfect for him. Kobe's new home will be on an acreage in Wisconsin with a caring, dog-loving couple who work from home and can give him what he needs...space to run, time to give, love to share, and new adventures in the country everyday I'm sure:) So, tonight, I hugged him goodbye. And, I'm not ashamed to say that I'm crying now writing about him. I will miss many things about him...his warm, sleepy body lying at our feet while we sit on the couch, seeing him lying in the living room in the night when I get up to check on Luke or use the bathroom, our runs on the douglas trail, our walks through the quiet neighborhood after dark, his gentleness with Luke and his reverence of Brent... But I know his new home will be for the best for him and for us. He will get what he needs and will no doubt enjoy his new home and family. We're also blessed by the opportunity to see pictures and keep in touch with his new owners on Facebook and through our daycare family when they visit Wisconsin.


Having something to let go means a blessing was mine to begin with. For that I am thankful.

We'll miss you Kobe

"Letting go doesn't mean giving up, but rather accepting that there are things that cannot be."