Xela Rue Goodman - 14 months old - 1983
Xela, Mom and Dad, Montreal, Quebec 2012
We have been visiting Xela for a week on her turf in the Adirondacks, upper state New York. It is fall of the year so really beautiful back here. The trees are a blaze with the colors of autumn. I have loved seeing her as a grown-up woman, not in school, but making a productive life for herself. It is gratifying for a parent when their child makes those choices that take them to places where they spend their talents and time helping others.
When a relay team runs a race, one runner will pass off a baton to the next runner and so on until the finish. Today Nick, Xela, and I spent the day touring the metropolis of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. We wanted to do a walking tour of "old Montreal," which is a large area by the harbor. For some reason Nick and I kept heading in the wrong direction even after reading the guidebook map whether right side up or upside down! Xela would let us know we needed to go the other way to get to our destination. The thought occurred to me that we had just passed the baton to our daughter. There have been many years and many miles that she traveled with us. We were her guides. We held the baton. Today she became the next runner, the new guide while traveling in new places.
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2 comments:
Interesting idea . . and way too soon to think about!!
Tell her. A child craves knowing that their parent approves of them and trusts them and thinks they're doing "right" and is seen as a functioning grown up not the incompetent bungling kid they raised. A "good job, I know you're working hard and doing your best" does so much good for a kid.
On an entirely different note, what a fun trip! Xela is such a cute girl and I love what she does for work. If my kid needed it, and a couple I 'm pretty sure will, she's the kind of person I want working with them. I love that she stays true to herself. I hope my girls can find happiness in life doing something they love like she does.
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