Here we go...

I feel like I'm standing on the edge of a great precipice. The ground falls away below me, the bottom too far away to see. I can tell by the little rocks that skitter away that I'm about to plunge in whether I like it or not. It's a large unknown that incites fear, sadness and trepidation, but I'm a little excited too. Who knows what that chasm holds? What beautiful thing may lay unseen at the bottom? I have to jump to find out.

I've been inching ever closer to the edge for awhile now. What is this vast space that causes such dread to well up inside of me?

My daughter is approaching the teen years.

You seasoned veterans may be snickering about now but I'm sure once upon a time you too were standing on the edge. Some of you are still falling, catching glimpses of what the bottom may look like but still too caught up in the rush to see the full picture yet. Other's of you have already landed. Hopefully you haven't splatted like a bug on a windshield and can offer me hope!

I know the Lord is trying to prepare me for the changing dynamic we are facing. Jessica just turned eleven and while that may not seem terribly old to some, I see it starting already. Always more of a tomboy than a princess, lately I've seen her casting furtive glances at the trendy clothes and make up. She's forever in the shower and her moods are beginning to rival mine! (My poor husband!) But then that little girl will show up and she'll be out catching bugs and climbing trees.

She's caught in the tension between being a little girl and being a young woman.

I hate it. I love it.

I enjoy her in a way I couldn't when she was just a little girl. I can see glimpses of the friends we will be when she is on the other side. I can tell her to go make dinner and it's edible!

I guess like everything in life there are trade offs. I will lose some precious things as she leaves her childhood behind. But I will gain some precious things too. Like a babysitter. And a shopping partner! And hopefully a disciple.

I guess there is no turning back, I have to take the plunge. Would those of you who have gone before shout out where the sharp pointy objects are so I can try to avoid some of them?

See you at the bottom.