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Wow! I sit here at my computer with tiny little tears in each eye, and having a very difficult time deciding where to start in response to what I just read! Your writing is beautiful, your insight is just pure wisdom, and most importantly to me, I am so thankful to have found you, especially now as it is the first week back to school (not my best time of year!)

Our children are of very similar age, and yes, my youngest daughter is 16 as well, with a personality that I can only thank God for! My middle daughter is back at college for her sophomore year, and the tears and emptiness of the house are still very raw as we said our August good-byes to her just four days ago. And our oldest is getting married this fall … the excitement is bubbling over and we are so close to yet another parenting shift as we learn how to maneuver with our new family of six, adding an absolutely precious new daughter in law. It is all wonderful! And then there are the pictures or the old baseball cap that will catch my eye and my heart is full of their childhood memories ~ the pure joy of it all, and the emptiness of having to move on from it.

You are a blessing to me that I have found you here! So looking forward to following along with your beautiful writings (and possibly commiserating over mama’ing a 16 year old!!). Xoxo

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This stage of parenting is like driving a stick shift ... we're always switching gears! My oldest has been married for three years and I love having a son-in-law ... and now a new granddaughter! Parenting doesn't end when they leave home ... it just shifts! And, that daughter I wrote about in this piece just got her driver's license and drove herself on the first day of school this week. No more carpool for me after 20 years! Her car is an automatic : )

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Ha ha! Glad that she is in an automatic! Enjoy your growing family!!

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