My dear child,

Tonight, I sat next to you as you drove home in your first vehicle. You asked me questions as we drove. “Do I turn on my blinker here?” “Do I need to start slowing down yet?” “What’s the speed limit here?”

And I heard myself say it…

Follow the signs. I won’t always be here.

After those words came out of my mouth, you responded with, “That’s true.” You slowed down when you saw reduced speed warnings, you slowed down when you came to those yellow curve signs, and you set your cruise at a safe speed until you found one of those handy speed limit signs. While we were talking about driving, the words were bittersweet for so many reasons. It’s just true. I won’t always be here, and I pray you know how to follow the signs of life to help you make good decisions.

As a parent, my entire world centers around you. Teaching you how to drive is also teaching me how to let go…how to trust you in a very scary world. Most importantly, it’s teaching me to trust that I have taught you about Jesus. It’s teaching us both to trust that while I won’t always be here with you, He will be.

My child, I pray you know Him. I pray you learn more and more to trust your life with Him. I pray for your safety and for those signs He gives you thousands of times a day to be so huge, they will be impossible for you to ignore. I pray you learn how to listen to His guidance and follow the signs.

Because I won’t always be here.

I love you.

Mom