Missing The Good Stuff

Our view of the ceremony.

The waiting is the hardest part.  Our daughter is coming.  How can we get through these next sixteen days?  I've dreamed of having the girls out here with us for so long... We sailed away a year and a half ago and left our youngest daughter.  Since then we've seen her a couple of times, but have also missed so much.  Important things like wedding dress shopping.  It's the hardest part of Cruising life.

We've settled into Mangoes Marina in Marsh Harbour, Great Abaco to get some things done before Brittney arrives... but also for another reason.  We need wi-fi.  Good, reliable wi-fi - as if that can be found in the Bahamas...  We had to at least try to find it because another very important event in our daughter's life was happening.  And since we couldn't fly home to be there, we could at least be there virtually.

Also missing new niece, Macy!

We wanted to be there so badly, but with the boat in the Bahamas and nobody to care for the cats... plus the expense of flying to Texas with another upcoming trip in August for Brittney and Scott's wedding... it just wasn't going to happen.  So... on the morning of her graduation, I got up, got dressed like I would if I had gone to the event and set up the computer so that we could use FaceTime to attend.

Melissa, our eldest daughter, was kind enough to mess with the interface.  It kept dropping and freezing up.  I had been so concerned with getting good wi-fi on our end, I hadn't considered the possibility that there might be problems with the graduation being held inside a huge building where the 4G might be sketchy.

But Melissa was awesome and stuck with it so that we could get the majority of it.  We were also able to see a much better video of Brittney walking across the stage and receiving her Masters Degree in Accountancy.

I had goosebumps as Bruce and I huddled around the computer screen watching it all.  It was a very proud moment as we reflected back over the years of dedication and hard work that it took for Brittney to achieve this goal.

Thanks Peg for being there for Brittney!

My practical mind was at war with my selfish side as I struggled to remain focused on the fact that although we couldn't be there, Brittney had many other family members present to cheer her on.... and for that I am eternally grateful.  Her sister, Melissa, my Brother and his new baby, and my Mom were there from my side of the family.  My daughter's father and his side of the family were in attendance.  And even more importantly, Brittney's fiancé Scott and his Mom were there to support her.

It did not escape me that my daughter's Mother-In-Law-To-Be was there... when her own mother was not.  It is a tough thing to live with and if money were no object... I would have been there.  But this life is a choice and it comes with sacrifices.  Very hard ones.

So... with teary eyes and a heart full to overflowing with pride, I stayed glued to the computer screen all that day and the next.  I waited for pictures and Face Time sessions as my family moved through the ceremony and the congratulatory celebrations.

Seeing the cake is not the same as TASTING the cake!

I got to see the decorations at our house as the girls prepared for their combined Graduation and Bon Voyage party.  They did such a great job.  Melissa is the most wonderful sister ever as she does double duty as hostess for this and is also Matron of Honor for the upcoming wedding.

I am so proud of both of my girls today it makes me want to burst... with pride in them... but also with the weight of regret that I feel for not being there with them.

Congratulations to my beautiful daughter Brittney.  You truly deserve all the accolades you've received for your singleminded dedication to your education.  You have made your mamma proud!

Our Baby leaving home...

After all of the hoopla died down from the graduation and the going-away-party.  The next morning dawned, and from thousands of miles away I could envision the scene in my home.  Melissa making coffee and breakfast in the quiet hush of morning, while Brittney and Scott dressed and finished packing the last few things in preparation for their departure.

Brittney was leaving home.  Another milestone in the life of parent and child.  This one I am not sorry to have missed.  This one I have already lived through.  The taking leave of ones child.  So this one I gladly skip and keep at least a few Mother's Tears in reserve for next time...