New Chapter
The summer of 2025 had us enter into a new chapter in our lives. We are now empty-nesters. We knew this day was coming. We helped our youngest daughter paint walls and cabinets in her new house. We helped with installing new flooring in what would be her master bedroom. She wanted the house to have her special touch, and we helped her achieve that goal. Months worth of weekends poured into her new home has it looking just right now, and last week she officially moved in. As we moved every piece of furniture out of her room in our house, we pushed forward and through the thoughts of what we would feel later when we drove away, leaving her at her new address and new home.
After everything was in its place, we hugged her and made sure she locked the doors. We made our way to our vehicles, and my husband looked into my eyes with such sadness in his own. As he went to speak, I told him not to, as I could not bear it at that time. I told him to get in his vehicle and meet me at the house. I knew the flood gates would open in my eyes if he expressed what I was feeling also in my heart.
The first four days were hard, as I tried not to mope around our house. With promises of her coming back to stay with us at some point, we worked hard to get her room in order in our house. We moved bedroom furniture back into her now empty room and tried our best to make it look as close as we could to when she lived with us — minus the clothes on the floor and endless water bottles. We snapped pictures of the new exercise room upstairs and sent her a picture of her room closely resembling what it was a week earlier when she lived at “home” … our home. She talked of how nice it was, but in our hearts, we knew she would not be returning home. She has her newfound freedom, and we remember those days. There’s nothing like walking around in your own home in a t-shirt without pants, standing in the kitchen in the refrigerator light at 3 a.m. because you want a snack. We know.
While we are not alone – with many having walked this path before us – it’s new and different. It’s frightening and more than a little sad. What will the future hold for us now? We devoted our entire adult lives either praying for and preparing to have a baby, raising our children, caring for them when they were sick, carting them to all the school and extracurricular activities, working on what seemed like endless projects and papers for school. We cheered them on in all they strived to do, whether it was college classes, working full time, or exploring the arts through painting, drawing, and singing. We were their biggest fans and loudest cheerleaders — and proud of it!
We were told on occasions that we “spoiled” our daughters by all we did for them and the vacations we took them on. There’s no such thing, though. We wanted them both to have the best childhood we could offer them full of so much love and happiness. While we were not able to protect them from this cruel, harsh world, we did all within our power to wrap them in the safety of our love and care.
Oh, how we treasure every moment of both of our daughters’ childhoods. Now we watch them both grow and flourish as adults. We could not be prouder of them! They are two of the most beautiful young ladies, inside and out, and we truly thank God for them both! We got to live our dreams! We became parents!
And now … we watch them live their dreams.
They have chosen a different path from each other, and we celebrate all that makes them unique. One is a stay-at-home mommy of a beautiful, prayed for and prayed over little boy! Oh, how he lights up our entire world!! The other is a full time working, independent women handling things on her own. While she hasn’t found her partner in life yet, we know God will bless her when the time is right, just as he did with our oldest daughter when she found love in her now ordained minister of a husband!
Ah, yes, life is good, even as we enter this new chapter in our lives as empty nesters. No matter how we’re feeling, we will navigate this road together – my husband and I. It’s time for us to find our way back to who we were before we devoted our entire beings to Mommy and Daddy. We treasure our roles, and now we are thriving as GRANDPARENTS!
We wonder if this is how our parents felt when we left the nest. It wasn’t talked about back then. It’s just something that we were supposed to grow up and do. We were raised to be independent and handle things on our own. We did, without a single thought of how our parents may have felt deep down inside with our empty bedrooms and quiet house. Until now.
As I sit in the quiet now, I remember the once extremely loud and chaotic household with toys here and there. I remember the mountains of what seemed like never-ending laundry. I appreciate where I am in my life now, but ohhhhh, the silence is almost deafening at times. So, I sit and think of my most treasured memories. Days snuggled in the bed with both of my little children by my side as we watched movies together bring me joy even now. Sitting in my burgundy recliner with my youngest daughter on the arm of my chair leaning into me as we read a book together also tops the chart of those memories. Playing “silly time” as my oldest daughter dressed in plastic high heeled shoes and a ballerina tutu twirling around and running down the hallway to change into another outfit for our “fashion show” … ah, yes. Sweet and precious memories keep me company now in this chapter of my life.