Sweet Sixteen

          Sweet 16 means the ushering in of a new season in our household.  This girl and I have logged a lot of miles together.  In Kansas, we drove close to 180 miles a day to swim and school.  It was utter craziness, but I cherished it.  Not too many moms have their teenager in the passenger seat for that many hours a day!  We laughed, played music (she kept me up to date with the latest hits and I kept her up to date on worship songs) and together we sang both styles - loudly.  Sometimes we argued, felt misunderstood and had our share of silent miles.  We stayed educated on politics through talk radio and drove our way through the 2016 Presidential election.  We talked about history and Jesus and swimming.  We prayed more in the car together than anywhere else.  We listened to chemistry lessons on YouTube, the spoken words from Chris Webb and Janette Ikz, researched dresses for Proms and Homecomings and talked friends and boys.  Being her driver, gave me the front seat to so many of her special life moments.  I got to be the first person to see her leave and arrive for all her days of school.  After she was asked to prom, or scored poorly on a math test, or was made fun of at school, there I was, in the driver’s seat, waiting for my passenger seat to be filled.  Feeling those emotions, happened together in the car.  I’ll never forget her face or seeing her run towards my car after she finished her first AP test.  I’ll also never forget the times she ran or walked away from my car, mommy tears streaming down my face, chasing her with my prayers.  Together, over the years, we rode with rejoicing and we drove out the tears.  Our car has been a beautiful container of memories and emotions.  I have loved having her ride shotgun all these years.  I will miss her pretty face, sharp mind, and her silly sense of humor next to me.  Sometimes the best of motherhood is in the mundane.  Yesterday, on her birthday, she got her second license, this time a California one.  Drive carefully EMMA Grace!  I can’t wait to ride shotgun with you and play loud music from the 1980’s.