Sunday, January 29, 2012

Prodigal Daughter Returns!

    
When I dropped my daughter, Sara, off to CalArts for her first time in college, it was the beginning of many heartbreaking years of estrangement. Tonight, after 2.5 years the estrangement ended. Nothing can hurt me now. I've got both my kids back!  My broken heart is healed!

Writing my books helped me stay connected to my precious Sara while I gave her time to work out whatever it was that made her unbearably angry with me. All I could do to have some connection to her was write about our life together.  I'd relive when she built her first snow cave all on her own, when we went for an evening walk on the beach during a storm and later waited for pizza delivery to our tent, when we stood in the once-in-a-lifetime salt lake in Death Valley together, when… 

All I had of my daughter were in my journals that I transposed into my books.  Thank God that I had them to carry me through this!  As I’d write or edit a passage about her, I’d break her rule about no communication and text her that I loved her, I’m so proud of her, and other kind words about her to her.  At Christmas I sent her a limited edition hardback of my first book, "The Romance of Kilimanjaro," in hopes that she would remember some of the great times that we had together.  I was bent on getting my daughter back!  Recently, I started praying that God surround both Drew and Sara with angels to keep Satan and his demons away from them.

Tonight I texted Sara after my phone call was forwarded to her mailbox, “Hi, could you please call me.  I would like to discuss your college.  I would appreciate it if you would make sure that my phone numbers are not on auto forward.  Thank you!” 

She called!  We talked and talked about her college strategy.  She explained how it would take three years to finish nursing school and then she had two more years to get her nurse anesthetist degree. 

“What year are you in college as far as credits?”

“A junior.”

“If you’re always on the Dean’s list, why don’t you graduate premed and go to medical school and become an anesthesiologist?  You’d finish in 2017 which is the same year you’d finish becoming a nurse anesthetist.  They only use anesthesiologists around here, not nurse anesthetists.”

“I’d really like to become a doctor.”

“Then do it.  We’ll find a way financially.  Your grandma died telling me how much she wanted to be a doctor.  Her parents could only send one child to medical school.  Even though she was a better student, they chose her older brother to become a doctor.  They told Grandma that she needed to raise a family.”

“If I can become a doctor, I’ll be able to take care of you.  I love you Mom.  I always have.  I will always make sure that you’re O.K.”

I was caught completely off guard and started crying.  “Sweetie, that is so touching!  Tears are coming to my eyes!  I love you, too!”

Then as a team, we went through the financial logistics about getting her through medical school.

Thank you God for reconciling my daughter and me!!!

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