The Goodbye Girl

"Back in the day," one of my favorite songs was "The Goodbye Girl." Now I've because "The Goodbye Girl," or maybe "The Goodbye Woman."

We just dropped Kris and Katie at the airport. He starts his journey back to the Sandbox and she goes back to Kansas. I wish I had started taking photos of our goodbyes at that airport years ago. It hasn't changed much but we sure have. Some things will never change: I still try to get that one last glance of him (now them) and still cry every time I drive away.

Kris's father has never lived in Florida so Kris flew many times as an "unaccompanied minor." He went to Paris with his father once, but I think his father flew here and they both left the US from Tampa. Kris spent a West Point summer in England; a WP spring break in Ireland; Katie spent some WP time in Greece. I don't even have a stamp on my passport. But I've been to Ft. Benning to watch Kris jump out of airplanes and for Austin's Basic Training Graduation; Ft. Bragg; Ft. Riley; MacDill AFB (the Officer's Club even); Aberdeen Proving Grounds; Ft. Knox.

One night Kris, Katie, my husband and I were out to dinner and Trace Adkins' song "And Then They Do" was playing. I mentioned how sad that song makes me feel; Kris' response was that it's a happy song -- the children are all growing up, leaving the nest and starting great lives of their own. Ah, perspective.