by Erma Bombeck

You start by trying to get the little craft off the ground, and sometimes you wonder if it’s going to make it. You’re running down the road as fast as you can with this awkward kite flapping in the wind behind you. Sometimes it crashes to the ground, so you tie on a longer tail and try again. Suddenly it catches a little gust of wind and flies dangerously close to power lines. Your heart is pounding as you survey the risk. But then without warning the kite begins to tug on the string as it ascends into the sky.

You release your grip little by little, and sooner than you expected, you come to the end of the twine. You stand on tiptoe holding the last inch between your thumb and forefinger. Then reluctantly you let go, permitting the kite to soar unfettered and independent in God’s blue heaven.

It’s an exhilarating and terrifying moment, and one that was ordained from the day of your child’s birth. With this final release your task as a parent is finished. The kite is free, and so, for the first time in eighteen years, are you.

This one tugged at my heart and I just had to share it because…well, this is where I am right now.

Erma Bombeck [February 27, 1927 - April 22, 1996] touched so many readers with her eloquent humor and witty insights.

Have you touched anyone lately?