Rain on the Radar

Today was cleaning day. The kitchen is spotless now, the bathrooms all shiny, the laundry has been folded and put away. I bought tickets to the water amusement park for my girls - and off they went on their great adventure by themselves - and I stayed behind.

At about 3 in the afternoon, I got a phone call from TP. "Mom - it's getting cloudy - it looks like it might rain - what should we do - they'll close the park if it rains - should we come home now". I explained to her they wouldn't close the park for just a little rain, but it would be advisable to get out of the water should lightning appear. I explained to her that it would be okay if they got wet - "you're in your swimsuits", I said - "oh yeah", she replied. *sigh*. I knew all these questions were her way of letting me know they wanted to come home. I wasn't quite ready for them to come home yet. I still needed some quiet time alone (I was being selfish, I know). So, I told her I'd check the weather radar on the computer, which I did. I told her that no rain was coming for at least a couple of hours. She sounded relieved, and said they'd stay for at least another hour. Sure enough, an hour later, she was calling to say they were coming home.

For all of her yearning to be independent, TP still has such a strong need to check in with me. She does this several times a day, not just when she's doing something as grown up as taking her younger sister to the water park. Sometimes, she's like velcro - she refuses to let go unless I pry her away from me. I think so much of her dependency has to do with being so sick for so long. She was so ill, so frightened, that she held on tight to me for comfort and hope. It now dawns on me that this is the way I am with the Lord. I know I can't do things without Him - but I still venture out alone every now and then, only to come back where it is safe, where I am comforted, and where I receive my daily dose of His strength and love. So, I guess I don't view TP's need to check in with me as something negative, even given her age. It's more like she still has a need to make sure I am there for her, even when the rain is far away on the radar.