I didn't expect it to be like this. Although I had prepared for this day for months, I knew Kelly's high school graduation would be tough. Emotional. Even tearful. But, I got through it, and surprisingly, with nothing but smiles. I found myself truly overjoyed watching her march down a glitter-filled isle that leads straight into a new chapter of her life.

But that was then. One week later, I spent the day packing up her belongings. Her world, on the move, packed in the back of two pick up trucks. She now calls home an off-campus apartment just a few miles from Penn State Behrend, and yes, the move is a lot earlier than mom would have liked. But she did get a good deal on the unit and had to move fast, or by the start of the fall semester, the apartment would be long gone. She hasn't been out for more than two weeks, but already I can see that the odds are highly likely she'll never call my place "home" again. My first clue? In the 90 degree heat of that move-out day, her ski gear was in tow. Call it mother's intuition.

Gazing happily into her future didn't come as easy for me this time around. This was a tearful goodbye. As the trucks are ready to roll, mom and daughter stand face-to-face. Nothing said, until she starts to bawl. The kind of wail she used to unleash when I would stuff her in her stroller when clearly she thought running was a better option. I smiled. She's gonna miss me. A true Hallmark moment...until....she speaks... "It's just..." - she blubbers... "Yes, honey, I know..." as I inch in for that reassuring hug. "It's just that I am going to miss my dog so much!" The dog?!?! I am not even kidding.

But, honestly, it didn't matter. Didn't matter that she thought she'd miss Man's Best Friend more than Mom's Best Friend. She swung by the house today to pick up a few things left behind, and both the dog and I met her at the door. I got a long hug and a quick smooch. He got a quick scratch behind the ear. Sometimes, I guess, every mom has her day....

As always, I'd enjoy hearing from you. Drop me a line anytime