And she's off!
Abby was up first before 5 a.m. to finish packing, but she confessed she slept horribly last night, tossing and turning. Someone is a bit nervous and excited. Bill and I were up shortly after her, and we walked in to see this: her baby sister Jubilee was spending her last few moments with her favorite older sister. They are two peas in a pod, so this shouldn't surprise me. However, neither girl likes early mornings, so clearly, this time together was necessary.
Abby's car was finally packed, and we left on time, just after 6 a.m. I rode with Abby, and Bill followed behind in the van that would eventually return us home, two parents minus one beloved daughter.
Now, I've mentioned Abby isn't a morning person; that's an understatement. Without a clear need to wake up, she can easily sleep until 2 p.m...every. single. day. So, the fact that she drove the 2.5 hours and talked the entire time without ever drawing breath made me inwardly giggle. Especially since the closer we got to campus, the faster she spoke...about everything. It was as if she'd been holding back words to say to me for half a decade, and today was the day to spill it all.
I haven't laughed so hard in my life. Her stories and the way she tells them crack me up. So, of course, I said what any good mother would say: "Oh, Abby! Please start writing your blog today." She finally paused talking for a moment, gave me that look, and raised an eyebrow.
I took the pause in conversation as an opportunity to say my parting words to her.
"Abby, you're leaving the protection of your home, where Daddy always ensured our home was a place of safety. You never had to worry about anything when you walked in the door. You spent every day of your life...safe and protected. Now, you have to be your own protector, and you are amazing at being situationally aware when you leave places late at night to walk to your car, etc."
I continued, "This is different. Now, the Holy Spirit will be your guide, and you will have to turn your ear to listen to His still, small voice. There will come a time when you are among people you trust, and yet something is off. My advice to you is to leave immediately. Lie and say you have a headache and must get home before it gets too bad. Make up a story and get out of there fast. Don't wait to "see" if there really is a problem."
"To help you figure out the still, small voice, walk into every room and give yourself 10 seconds to observe the room. Identify every person, find every exit, and ask yourself if the energy in the room is on point or is something off?"
She sobered and said, "That makes sense."
I continued, "That's really the only advice I want you to hear and remember. I could spend an entire week giving you advice, but the reality is (1) you won't remember any of it, and (2) you need to figure life out on your own. So, I will conclude with this: boldly try many things. You will fail...often...learn from it."
We both laughed heartily. Abby "gets" me and understood the assignment. Her dad and I are big on "failing forward." We reward failing forward and teach our children that the wise person leaves their comfort zone to try new things, knowing that success isn't guaranteed, but the lesson and growth from failing are guaranteed as long as you take the time to learn from it.
The first thing we saw once we arrived on campus.
By then, we had arrived at Arizona Christian University, and the campus was buzzing. Check-in was a breeze, and the campus was full of student-parent moments, including grabbing matching shirts and photo ops.
It was dorm move-in time after getting her all checked in and her classes finalized. They had all the kids drive their cars slowly through the fire lane up next to their dorm, where college students, primarily young men, rushed the cars to quickly unload the vehicles and deliver each bag and box to the correct dorm. It was over in under 5 minutes, but the vehicle had to keep moving, and Abby had to sign papers. So, Bill and I drove the car to a parking lot and sent Abby this picture.
"We parked your car. Here's a picture so you can find it again."
The campus is over 75 acres. Abby laughed, knowing she would never find her car again without help.
My favorite part of the day was helping her unpack and set up her new home, plus the shopping that had to happen. There is nothing better than retail therapy, and it was funny that the store was filled with ACU families decking out their dorm rooms.
After unpacking, we enjoyed our last meal together. While no one cried, there were a few watery eyes. It could have been allergies, to be honest. 😉
Back at the dorm, we had to part ways. Bill and I attended the parent orientation, while Abby attended her student orientation. This was my second favorite moment of the day.
ACU reassured the parents that their children were in good hands. The university prides itself on being a family school with daily Bible studies and outreach opportunities. Being a small college, staff, and students are so close that even the college president frequently writes letters of recommendation for almost every student because "everyone knows everyone."
The president of ACU said, "We're bigger than just a university. We're part of a Jesus movement. 75% of the next generation says they are hopeless and life is meaningless. This is a place where we teach these young adults daily that they were created for a purpose. God has a plan for their lives, and our mission is to come alongside them and continue the work you (parents) began, to help them all become leaders and discover that purpose."
Even the head of security (fully armed - YES!) spoke and reassured us how safe and secure the students are on this campus. It truly felt like Abby was going from one safe home to another.
My heart is at peace. Seeing Bill so comfortable leaving his baby girl there made me even more at peace. I knew that if Bill were relaxed, then Abby and I would have nothing to worry about. Bill said on the way home, "This is a school I feel confident leaving Abby at with her education, safety, and most importantly, her faith."
The parent meeting ended, and we sent Abby another photo of where she could find us when her meeting was over.
More giggles. More precious memories were logged.
Our time together had to end, and she walked us back to our vehicle, where Bill gathered us together to pray over Abby.
After "Amen," we hugged repeatedly, not wanting that hug to be the last. Somehow, we managed to part and watched her walk back to her dorm with the camera ready. We knew she would turn around before disappearing and wanted to capture that moment.
We didn't know she would blow us a kiss. Cue the watery eyes that didn't leak. We actually went the whole day without one tear escaping.
But now that I type this...I'm bawling. Launching is hard and should never be attempted without faith in Christ. How could anyone do this without faith? I'd be a wreck and feel so hopeless tonight. Instead, I'm sad about the separation and overjoyed at the successful launch and her future as a lovely Christian lady who aims to bring Him glory.
Fly high, baby girl. I'm so proud of you.
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