"Butterfly, Fly Away"

(This actually happened a few weeks ago and I thought I posted it.) The hormones are in full swing if Miley Cyrus and Billy Ray can make me cry. Today we had "Parent/Teacher Conferences". My kids have both improved markedly this past quarter and I was very proud of them for their hard work. But I was more proud when my 5th grade daughter's teacher told me what a nice kid she is and how impressed she is with the choices she has made in friends and how she treats other students. (I was also proud of my son, but this entry has more to do with my daughter). I then had to take her to get her picture taken for her passport for a trip she is going on this summer with one of her grandmothers. As she posed for the photo I was struck by how she has grown and how beautiful she is. I can't believe middle school is next year, don't think I am ready for that. As I was paying for the photos she wanted to use my phone to text her dad, another "more grown up" thing to do, rather than just calling. Then on the way home we were listening to the Miley Cyrus CD and the song, "Butterfly, Fly Away" (don't know if that is the real title, but that was the chorus) came on. It is Miley C singing about how her Dad used to tuck her in at night, and how he cared for her growing up and how she is now growing wings to fly away. Then they sing together. I had to hide the tears because I am seeing this beautiful young woman blossom and grow and it will be time for her to fly away before I know it. It was seriously like a slide show that went through my head of her from when she started walking through the years until now. This is one of the days that I took time to give thanks for the honor it is to have all of these kids and see them grow. It is a lot of work and mundane at times, but it is totally worth it.