As I write this, my daughter and son-in-law are on a long overseas flight to their new home in Sydney, Australia.  Christine surprised us with news several weeks ago that she had accepted a position with a company and would be moving to Australia in the fall.  Our immediate reaction was a stunned shock; and I have to admit it took some time for the feeling to start easing a bit.

As fathers, our natural instinct is that we need to be there for our children, and especially so for our daughters.  We always want to be ready to help them, support them, and to be able to be physically close to them in a short amount of time.

Well, the last thing is just not possible now.  Christine and Toby are half a world away from us.  We just can’t hop in a vehicle and drive to their place anymore, a new reality that we’re adjusting to.

Perhaps the hardest adjustment for me is to accept the fact that she and Toby are truly and completely on their own now.  I know that they will make new friends and acquaintances soon enough, but it is still hard to accept that we cannot be there to help them should they need it.

Even so, I know that no matter what it is that I can no longer do for them, God can.  His power and dominion know no bounds, and I trust in him to take care of them.  After all, they are HIS kids, He only blessed us with the joy of raising them for a time and giving them wings on which to fly on their own.

And that’s just what they are doing.

Thank You, God. May you continue to bless and protect them in a far away land.

See you at the ramp.