Learning to Let Go a Little More......

Congreve Hall at UNH
Claire is on the 2nd floor

This day, Thursday 22 August,  began at 5:15. A bit earlier for Claire. Dave's car was packed last night, she did her own this morning at dawn. She left for NH at 6, we left at 6:50. She arrived about 10:15. We arrived about 45 min later. Should have been an easy unpack as lot is right across street from dorm, and both cars had two hour parking stickers. Got a text as we pulled in: "i lost my car keys!!!!" And so the drama begins: she had pulled into lot, locked car, checked into dorm to get room key and went upstairs to bathroom and thought she put keys on her desk. One roomie and family were there unpacking N's stuff. Other roomie arrives Sat. ( super awesomely cute triple room btw in Congreve...nicest dorm yet for Claire). She retraced her steps. No keys. They looked everywhere in room. No keys. Panic is setting in. I call AAA. HUGE THANKS to the Elliot Maine AAA dispatcher who calmed me down and said yes she can send someone to get car unlocked. Meanwhile, i stay with car while dave and claire unpack his. Then we take Dave's permit and put on Claire's car as we have more time on ours, so i move his all the way across campus to a different (free) lot. I then walk all the way back in 84 degrees and high humidity, thinking this is NH!! Shouldn't it be cooler here?? I go to her room to cool off ( they have central air in this dorm) and help carry stuff up. By now Mike from AAA is there unlocking her Nissan. We empty it out, and meanwhile, Mike goes above and beyond his duties. He "happens" to know the UNH Police well so called them to inform them of the situation. He then walked over to the large fitness center near the lot to inform them in there that a set of cR keys was missing. He even called AAA to get a tow truck over so that they could tow Claire's car to the Westedge Lot where her school year parking permit is allowed. We locked the car there and are praying the keys turn up. Meanwhile, i get to mail her the spare key. This day didn't go as planned but God used it to show me she is growing up and i can't really fix everything. Also, i didn't get to help her set up her side of the room or take photos or even selfies, as she had a 4 pm meeting and still needed lunch as did we. We hugged goodbye. We left UNH around 3:30 and got back home to Latham by 8:30. We thank God for AAA and Mike and unknown towing guy. They really went beyond what they had to do.#summer2019 #yr3UNH #UNHmom

This was the Facebook status I posted late last night after a FIVE hour ride home from UNH.  You read that correctly.  We hit horrible commuter traffic on 495 south from the border of NH all the way to mid-MA.  We finally turned off onto a smaller interstate for about 2 hours only to then get back on I 90 in central MA and head direct west for our home here in Albany County, NY.  It was insane.  I told my husband we just are getting too old to make this UNH trip in one day.  But he couldn't get today off from work so.....

Here's what I learned from Claire losing her car keys (and her set of our house keys is on it, too!):

God showed me to NOT yell at her.  It is a stressful day..moving into a new dorm after driving for 4 hours; hot and humid; no lunch cause the dining hall doesn't open until dinner time today; and juggling two cars which are only allowed in the lot for 2 hours. ....plus the emotions of saying good bye, of knowing she won't be home again until Xmas break. She knows she's gonna be busy on Friday helping freshmen move in. She knows she still has to unpack and rearrange her side of the room.  And classes begin Monday. And there's a ballet audition to get through.  And books to purchase. So...I didn't yell. I didn't freak out.

  She was up at 4:30 and packed her own car.  The night before she helped Dave pack his car with the big stuff (fridge, chair, etc) because she knew I can no longer lift heavy items.  She had planned the whole day out.  We would help her unpack both cars, I'd make her bed after Dave lofted it, and then we would go out to lunch and she'd go off to her meeting.

So I didn't yell.  (i tend to freak out and normally would say things like "well where the heck where you?  how could you lose your keys? ).  I did question her whereabouts and asked her if she had retraced her steps.  She had already done all of this before we parked our car.

Another thing God showed me: she is a young adult.  20 years old and mature.  She's an independent thinker and quite creative. Drama does tend to follow her but I was the same way at that age.  And because she is now a young adult, I really can't "Fix" things for her.  Oh yes, I called AAA while she and Dave moved stuff from his car.  I sat by hers so it wouldn't get a parking ticket and waited for AAA to show up.  I prayed.  I told her I prayed.  I think prayer was the furthest thing from her mind so I prayed that she would draw closer to her Savior this year.  But I can't make her.  And I can't really fix this.

Even though we made our plans and sketched out the entire day's schedule, things happen. Life happens. God smiles.  We can make our plans...oh boy can we...but then God.  He directs our steps. Whether you believe it or not, He does!

The car keys are gone. We've searched the entire room.  The only area we didn't search was her roommate's desk and I'm going to assume Claire and she will double check it.

The most amazing thing about yesterday though was that the AAA guy whom Elliot Maine AAA service sent us, went above and beyond what he really needed to do. He was there for 2 hours alerting the UNH Police, unlocking Claire's car with his special device, helping us look all through the car just in case she manually locked it and left them in the car (which we didn't think so but you never know). And HE is the one who first told us that AAA wouldn't tow the car across campus due to the short distance. They WOULD tow it to the Nissan Dealer for her to get a new key. But we didn't want that. But he called AAA anyways on our behalf and somehow convinced a towing guy to haul Claire's car off to the correct parking lot where she has a year round permit.  It's on the very edge of campus about a 30 minute walk from her dorm.

By now, it's 3 pm and she needs to go downtown to get lunch and we need to get on the road. She had a 4 pm meeting. We didn't get to help her set up her corner of the room, make her bed, nor get photos with her.  But it's all ok.  I'm learning that sometimes we need to let go of all that stuff.  and besides.....

These were all steps that God ordained. I'm convinced of it.

This is a HUGE secular campus.  I've often been "worried" about the political diversity, the gender inclusive bathrooms, the air of humanism and liberalism on campus.  But then I see the character of Claire. I see the good choices she's making and the excellent education she is getting.  It's a top notch university where she can major in Sociology AND Russian and still minor in Psych and Ballet. She can dance in the ballet company! She has good friends and loves it there.Besides, she's a child of the King. 

And I smile. Because I know my job right now is to be a prayer warrior mama.

God whispered to my heart that I really having nothing to worry about.

God knows.  He knows every step we take, every thought we have. 

He even knows where those keys are.

For now?  

We'll pray that they turn up and we'll pray she doesn't lose the spare set. We'll pray they arrive safely into her hands on Monday.

And we will learn to let go a little bit more......