A WHOLE NEW SET OF FIRSTS

Over the last nearly nineteen years, Jim and I have shared a lot of "firsts" with Anna.

Whether it was her first horse ride or her first birthday party, her daddy and have been blessed to be a part of her life.

Now we are experiencing a host of new first experiences as she begins her college years.

Yesterday, her daddy and I drove her down to New Orleans and began moving her into her very first apartment.

Then today, we attended freshman/parent orientation at her college, Our Lady of Holy Cross. She met classmates, registered for classes, and got her student parking tag. Her scholarship has been applied and she's now officially enrolled as a new student studying Applied Behavioral Sciences.

Once again, we've been blessed to be with her during another first. But this blessing doesn't come with a price. Now our first chick is flying the nest and that means we're now experiencing a first. We now, for the first time, have an adult child who is building a life apart from us.

We are so very proud and happy for her. She's going to a great college, living in a nice apartment complex, meeting so many new people, and striving to live for Jesus over these next four years. She's going to have so many incredible experiences.

But most of them will not include us.

That's hard.

But I wouldn't have it any other way. We have done all that we could to prepare her for this day and she's ready.

She's ready for a whole lifetime of firsts and I just know that God has some absolutely beautiful ones planned.