Time Moves On

Do you miss Kacie?

We’ve been asked that question numerous times since Kacie moved to Manhattan (the “Little Apple”, not the big one) last month. And it’s not as easy to answer as you might think.

First, who would ever admit that they don’t miss their only child? It’s cruel. It’s heartless. It’s so rude.

And of course, we do miss her. The house is so much quieter. The rooms are so much cleaner. The refrigerator is so much fuller. Her absence is duly noted.

But we raised Kacie with the idea that one day, she would leave our humble abode for her own digs. It was never intended that she would remain with us forever. Our role from the day we brought her home from the hospital was to work ourselves out of a job.

We’ll always be her parents. She’ll always be Kim’s “Kacie-bug” and my “Pumpkin-head”. We’ll still spend time with her and money on her.

But as she matures, it is only natural that she should spread her wings a bit. We’ve tried to raise her right. We’ve tried to model Godliness (Kim with better success at this than me, to be honest). We’ve tried to instill Godly values.

So now we’re entering this new phase, and it’s not so bad. She calls Kim to ask for decorating advice. She calls me to ask me what that beeping sound is in her apartment (it was the battery in her smoke alarm going out). And she emails us pictures of the cute things the dog does.

So do we miss Kacie? Of course we do. For nearly 20 years she occupied space in our home. She still occupies major space in our hearts.

But we’re glad to see her doing so well on her own. Kim & I are enjoying a renaissance in our relationship. And I moved my study into Kacie’s old bedroom. (She got my old study, so it’s not like we kicked her out or anything.)

And when Kacie comes home, it’s great to see her and do things with her. Like last weekend, when we went to see a movie together. We saw Toy Story 3, and for just a little while, with my Pumpkin-head beside me, it was like she had never left home.