Wings And Roots

You are going off to college. It is a day that I have been preparing for almost 19 years. From the time the doctor first put you in my arms minutes after you were born, I knew we wer both moving towards this moment.
There is so much I want to tell you, so much I want you to know. In the middle of the day I wonder "did I remember to add the dryer sheets to the list" and during the night I wake up wondering, "I never told him that when his heart feels like it is broken, it will be ok". I think back over the past years and pray that what your father and I have taught you about courage, and sticking up for yourself andn others, not beinig afraid to ask question and to know that no matter what happens, we will always be there for you, and how very proud your Dad and I are of you - the boy you were and the man you are becoming...
You grandmother has a cross stich hanging in her living room that says "Good parents give their children Roots and Wings. Roots to know where home is, wings to fly away and exercise what's been taught them."
-- Jonas Salk
We have given you the roots that you need to be successful, now it is time to give you wings:


A FINAL GIFT: LETTING GO
(to a teen leaving home)
Boats in the harbor are safe near shore
Far from the unknown sea,
But just as boats were made for more,
It's the same with you and me.
Those who would anchor their teen with a stone
In hopes of preventing a wreck,
Find that their fears are never undone
Andthe stone ends up weighting both necks.
So I give to you a port called home
Where your ship was built so strong,
And if you need to harbor here,
You know that you belong.
And I give to you the maps you'll need
That you may set the course
For places that I'll never see,
So go without remorse.
Tilting your sails into the wind
With hope, and vision and courage--
I kiss you once, then touch your chin
And wish you bon voyage!
-Michael H. Popkin