After Hours: Letting Go

He stands at the door, crying.  You know he is in good hands, and you won’t be gone long, but to him, an hour seems like eternity.  He waits for you, and cries.  You try not to let it hurt too much as you turn to walk away.  You know he is in good hands, but you worry just the same because what if it hurts him too, to see you go?  What if he really doesn’t know if you’ll be back for him?  It’s hard for him to understand, and to know just how you feel because he is a toddler.  And it’s hard for you too, because you are his mother. 

You want the very best for him; you want him to trust you; you want him to know you will always be there for him, and that sometimes being there means learning how to let go.  But that doesn’t mean you love him any less; that you ever stop loving him as he grows.  And one day he will know that you left him in good hands, and you weren’t gone long, and it wasn’t an eternity, and you did miss him, and you did come back for him, and it was all okay.  And that he understands. 

You stand at the door, crying.  You know he is in good hands, and he won’t be gone long, but to not know how long exactly, seems like an eternity.  You watch him go, and cry.  You try not to let it hurt too much as he turns to walk away.  You know he is in good hands, but you worry just the same because what if it hurts him too, to go?  What if you really don’t know if he’ll be back?  It’s hard for him to understand, and to know just how you feel because he is a young man.  And it’s hard for you too, because you are his mother. 

You want the very best for him; you want him to trust you; you want him to know you will always be there for him, and that sometimes being there means learning how to let go.  But that doesn’t mean you love him any less; that you ever stop loving him as he grows.  And one day you will know that he is in good hands, and he won’t be gone long, and it won’t be an eternity, and he did miss you, and he did come back, and it was all okay.  And that he understands.

Letting go is a process and it starts off slow and small and gradual.  In the beginning it is hard to do, and there are tears and fear and anxiety.  Letting go takes time, but eventually it does get easier, and it will be better.  All you have to do is trust the process.  All you have to do is trust you.  All you have to do is let go.