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Itโ€™s foggy this morning, but the light coming from my daughterโ€™s bedroom is bright because sheโ€™s away on a trip, and her door is wide open.

Itโ€™s heartbreaking walking down the stairs knowing this is what it will feel like when she leaves for college.

Every step I feel the weight of: did I spend enough time with her, will she be ok on her own, is she happy, what will her life be like now? Itโ€™s heavy.

Thatโ€™s being a parent. Your kids grow up and leave you, then you have grandchildren, they visit, they leave, and itโ€™s the same feeling all over again.

And you say to yourself: Next time I need to do this with them.

Being left behind is not a good feeling. When I went to college, my younger sister said, โ€œthanks for leaving me with Mom and Dad.โ€

Life moves on. The days fly by, or not at all. One morning we wake up feeling pretty good, the next we wonder: what planet are these people from?

The fogโ€™s starting to lift, itโ€™s brighter outside. Time to continue the fight. The fight for what you and I deserveโ€”what our families deserve. Weโ€™ve worked too hard to let it be taken from us.

ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย  Oceans of time will wash on by

ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย  Ebb and flowing through our lives

ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย  Why should we hurry the tide

ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย  You and I, only have oceans of time

ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย  -Jimmy Buffett

Originally posted on Your Survival Guy.ย