Hugs "R" us

Sitting here in my hotel room in our nation's capital after a perfect late summer day spent with my daughter on the eve of her 18th birthday.  She is attending an evening class and I am alone waiting for her to join me.  A series of flashbacks have been going through my mind all day and as I ponder our journey together as mother and daughter the one thing that stands out in my mind is hugging.

Hugs have been our glue.  Our cure-all.  Our balm.  When she was barely old enough to walk and talk, it was the solution to every fall, every victory, every bad dream. Hugs were like band-aids for us.  Any seeming crisis has always been followed with hugs. We have hugged every morning, every evening and any time in between when we just felt the need.  

When she knew that she would be leaving for Ottawa, she was excited and this great new life and adventure was spread out before her.  It was all positive.  The only thing she stopped to contemplate was "how would she live without our hugs."?  How, indeed.

So, today when I saw her coming toward me in the residence courtyard, I watched as every step she took toward me was like a dance of brisk moving legs and arms that started to reach toward me with the same familiarity that I have witnessed for most of her 18 years, and the sweet tilt in her head and smile on her face that accompanies this intimate ritual between us and it always feels the same.  Warm and heartfelt and connected.  For this moment in time, all is well with the world.  She is safe and secure and loved.

As she gets older and spends more and more time away from me, these are the moments she can carry with her and know that even though they are not as frequent, they will always be waiting for her the next time. 

Happy Birthday baby - here's to many more years of adventure, learning and of course...hugs.

Mom xoxooo