Always in the same dress, sometimes clean but most of the times, stained. Her head always bent and eyes searching the street, randomly picking bits of paper and reading what is written on them searching for something that I guess even she does not know. I tried to meet her eyes once, nothing happened, another time, still the same.. and finally I managed to make contact and gave her a smile, wondering if she would smile back, and she did.
Another day on my way to the market bumped into her and smiled, tried to talk to her,kind of forced my question by asking her "Where are going?" her words came tumbling out, faster than she could control, I tried to comprehend, some I did but most I didn't.
She talked about matters that did not concern us, about nosey neighbours(Who seemed to be the bane of her life) I just moved with the flow, and got the impression through her talk, that not too many people wanted to say Hi to her,( maybe it was her reluctance to make eye contact or maybe just her antisocial nature.)
She talked about the price rise, and how difficult it was to make ends meet, at which I asked her very politely"If she was a working girl?" she was mighty thrilled with my question and gave me the widest smile, which showed me a set of teeth that needed a lot of care.
She said she did work for a while but gave it all up to look after her ailing mother who passed away a while ago, now she was living on her sisters charity, and seemed to be very content with that.She asked me very relevant questions"Are you married?" "I know you live here" she said and pointed towards the right direction and even mentioned my building, both of us walked towards the icecream shop and enjoyed icecream together.
"Oh Thank you very much for the icecream"with a wave of her hand she was gone.
A couple of weeks ago I met her again this time she just looked thru me, like we had not met.
I see her sometimes walking and mumbling something to herself and even managing to smile at her own jokes. At times she smiles at me, most of the times she just goes on walking, searching for THAT BIT OF PAPER, .......

Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself. They came through you but not from you and though they are with you yet they belong not to you.
Kahlil Gibran

I am at a stage of my life where my niece is a few months away from moving out , that is to say get married. Sounds so cliched .. she was so little remember the day we went to see her in hospital the day she was born, so tiny, so vulnerable so beautiful !, watched her grow to be a toddler, a young girl, with a satchel and a hairband larger then her head going to school, a teenager and finally a little adult, lots of interesting tidbits I have shared with her, her friends, her likes, her dislike and finally her prince charming. What a lucky boy he is.
And each time I see the brides mother on a wedding day, I know I too will have to be there,one day.My daughter is still a teen and will be a grown up "Little"lady.
I have always believed that it is in giving that you receive real joy. My heart all mixed up, with joy, and parting, and knowing well that she has to go, most importantly to see her Happy.
Kahil Gibran so clearly states this, And I am referring only to daughters,
Sons too at one point of life have to move on and get on with their own way of life, their happiness and we have to be able to let go, I must admit that I admire my parents who at this age have let us three with our own ways of life my brother in his and my sister and me in ours, they are always there to help us, whenever we need but NEVER imposing themselves on us, I am sure Mum and Dad are the living examples of what Kahil Gibran has stated above.
And as my husband and me draw closer to our empty nest syndrome may God grant us the grace and wisdom to be able to live and let live.....They belong not to you....

>From God with Love..... Read this beautiful poem and the last two lines, say it all, how as a family we have to always be there no matter what, no matter where.and the values we teach our children will always come back home to us..... read on ...

~Author Unknown~

Children are a blessing sent from God above
For us to care and nurture and most of all to love.

God calls us to be parents and gives us all the tools
And when we feel like giving up, our strength He will renew.

Children are a gift from God that He so freely lends
To make it through the childhood years, on Him we must depend.

He must have a presence, you see it must take three
The parents, child and Christ at the center to be a family.

From childhood days to a child full grown
Their joys and hurts are a parent's own.

Times of joy and laughter and those times of tears
The times spent raising a child are surely the best of years.

There comes that time in life when a child will leave the nest
We must send them off with love and a prayer and leave to God the rest.

We've have shared the Word of God, we've taught them right from wrong
Now it's time to let them go and let them write their song.

The faith instilled, the examples lived, and the lessons taught
All gifts that we've given our child, which will never be forgotten.

There are many paths a child can take, right or wrong will remain unknown
But rest assured that in the end, they all lead back to home.