A few years ago Memejo purchased a Singer sewing machine for Ashlyn. It has turned out to be a very good investment and a great way for Ashlyn to bond with all of her grandmas. Memejo of course purchased the sewing machine, and she and Ashlyn have learned a lot about sewing and even had a neighbor give them some lessons. Grandma has helped maintain the machine and she and Ashlyn recently picked out a dress pattern and fabric for their own sewing project.
This was Emay and Ashlyn's time to sew together. Ashlyn came home telling me about how thrilled she was to be the "youngest seamstress" and how Emay helped her sew the dolls, some of the women stuffed them and wrote out prayers that they placed inside the dolls.
Of course, the other highlight from the day was that she got to help take care of one of the babies at the church. This particular baby is the son of one of the kids that Chris used to babysit when he was younger. Not only that but the baby's grandparents used to watch Chris when he was younger AND they babysat Ashlyn when she was around the same age as their grandson!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ashlyn has been gone at fifth grade camp this week. I have gotten a few texts from the parent chaperones that I know assuring me that Ashlyn is doing great and having a good time.
Surprisingly, I was pretty calm leading up to Ashlyn leaving. I remember going to fifth grade camp myself and having a blast with all of my friends. Ashlyn was curious about my experience at camp and what I did while I was there. I told her about the hiking, the cabins, getting to hang out with my friends all week long, skits, night hikes, and sleeping out under the stars on the last night. She was actually excited because the camp she was going to not only had night hikes but also had archery, a giant swing, and a zip line.
Ashlyn was beyond excited leading up to camp. She came home daily and told us all the information that she got from her teacher at school. While we were packing her suitcase she carefully checked off each box on the packing list, making sure she didn't forget anything.
The evening before she was going to leave for camp Ashlyn was unusually quiet. When Chris and I were headed to bed I heard her quiet voice calling me into her room. Her eyes were glassy and welled up with tears as I walked in and sat on her bed. She told me she was scared and asked me to pray for her. I held her hand and prayed for her and then we talked a little about fear.
She didn't have to explain how she was feeling, I already knew. The poor girl is just like me…a chronic over thinker who fears the unknown. I knew she was afraid of what the camp would be like, having never been there before. I knew she was afraid that she would be homesick.
I reminded her about her first surfing experience and how scared she was to venture out into the water. She smiled remembering how much she loved surfing and I encouraged her to not let the fear of the unknown keep her from trying something new.
I will admit that saying goodbye was tough. It's not that Ashlyn hasn't been away from home before. She has even been gone for much longer durations that just three nights at camp. But this time was different. This time she wasn't just staying at her grandparent's house. I tried not to over think the situation myself and instead prayed for her protection knowing that anything that happened was part of God's plan.
I kept my cool as we hugged and said our goodbyes and "I love yous". I knew that if I didn't hold it together she would definitely lose it. I watched as she walked timidly towards the bus with her friends, occasionally turning back to make sure I was still there. She waved to me from her seat aboard the crowded bus, a look of sadness on her face. I motioned for her to smile as I watched the bus pull away from the curb. She waved, craning her neck so that she could still see me until the bus was out of sight. I continued to smile, wave and sign "I love you" (a little too long) after the bus turned the corner and I could no longer see the window that contained my girl, just in case. I was proud of myself for holding it together and not tearing up until after she was gone.
I miss my girl. It's not the same without her. Even Basil feels the absence and continually walks into Ashlyn's empty room trying to find her. Landon told me he was sad that Ashlyn is gone and that he misses playing with her. Every night he has prayed that she will be safe and have fun at camp.
She comes home tomorrow. I can't wait to see her bright smile when she gets off the bus and to give her a big hug and I am eager to hear her enthusiastically recall every detail from her trip.
2 comments:
This post made me sad!!! But I'm proud of both of you!
Post a Comment