Window Pain

Our daughter is just an amazingly beautiful little person.  She has an extraordinary emotional connection to her world, and I don’t say that lightly.  Her inner world is very complex, and her connection to her emotions brings not only depth, but amazing sensitivity. 

I’ve had some recent experiences that help illustrate this.  She is three years old, she turns four next month.  But goodbyes at her school are still moments that cause her to fight back tears, sometimes the tears win, sometimes they don’t.  But her goodbye embrace is always one that leaves me knowing that goodbye is anything but routine for her, she really doesn’t want to go, or want me or my wife to go.

But recently we’ve found a sort of compromise.  Her school has a couple of large windows that overlook the street we park on and drive off on.  If she goes to the window she can see us, we can see her, and we are graced with another moment to say goodbye. 

So this morning, we hug and kiss goodbye, she heads to the window, I head to the car.  On my way out I see her and wave, she returns the wave.

She doesn’t stop waving until I don’t know when, as I crooked my neck looking back and drove in to the other lane; all I could see was a little hand wishing me farewell on the rest of my day.