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On this last day of September as I look outside my window I see that the sky has turned grey, that one of my rhododendrons is starting to bloom, that my favorite old apple tree has split in half, that autumn leaves are starting to gather along the walkway.  I see a circle of tall majestic pine trees, green against the clouds reminding me how lucky I am to live in such a verdant abundant place. I love autumn, in fact I love each season as it unfolds around me.

After spending a week in Paris admiring it’s beautiful architecture, basking in the sunshine along the Seine, riding the Metro, mingling with it’s rushing humanity, being a tourist, then a mom leaving her daughter behind thus causing a bridge to form between two contrasting worlds, I am back home now, taking it all in.  As the airplane was descending I thought about what my daughter was used to and where she is now. When I said goodbye to her I knew that she would be fine because she is already loving her new school, we both made a pact not to think of the distance between us, a continent and an ocean, but to think of all the fun memories that bind us together and to look forward to her Christmas visit.  

I cannot change the distance or the time difference, she is nine hours ahead of us, but I can be happy by not worrying about the things I cannot change. Until now she had always relied on either myself or her older sister to guide her, take her around when we were traveling, never worrying about anything, enjoying the labors of our love and work.  I am glad that her dad and I accompanied her, she was glad for our help when we got her a new sim card, a bank account and shopped for bedding and groceries. We spent a few days in a hotel, visited Montmartre and the Eiffel tower, before she spent her first night alone in her studio the day before school started. She managed to hear the alarm and get to school on time riding first the tram then the Metro. Her dad and I met her at the end of the day at her school, she was very happy with her first day she guided us back to her place with assurance.  My baby is a daydreamer, she has always been the prime example of the saying “in one ear, out the other”, so her sister, who was not able to come with us, her dad and I were a little worried about how she would manage in this giant metropolis. She seems to be doing just fine. We can no longer make fun of her as far as her bad sense of direction. I can relax as she takes charge of her life.

As I adjust to my time zone and she to hers I try to time my texts to wish her a good night or a good day.  With the nine hour time difference it’s much easier to catch her in the evening than in the morning. It is an exciting time in our lives.  As we follow our own paths it is nice to know that they will always manage to cross each other along the way because we want them to. I look forward to the changing colors that fall brings, to cooking soups, to enjoying pumpkin bread and lattes, steamy cups of chai and to snuggle under a blanket with good books at night.  I welcome the changes that this fall is bringing me as it seems to make me a stronger and better me. I hope that you are enjoying your start of fall!