By David Trinko
The Lima News
My first memory with my oldest daughter involved wandering through a local corn maze, trying to make her laugh.
It was my second date with her mother and the first time I’d met that shy 3-year-old girl. Every year since then, our family returns to that corn maze, looking for the stamps and trivia answers amidst the head-high corn stalks, trying to complete the challenge.
Last week’s trip was different, though. It felt more final. We completed the maze much more quickly than usual, as our group of six frequently broke apart to explore the different pathways more efficiently. It wasn’t up to my wife and I to find our way; the kids were equal partners in plotting the course.
Ultimately, that’s the goal of any parent, that one day your child will plot her own path in life and follow her own dreams. It still leaves you a bit nostalgic for those early days where she blindly followed you, assuming you knew where you were going and trusting you’d never lead her down a dead-end path.
We ended last week with a very different type of trip. We spent one day loading all of her belongings, along with those of her fiance, into a moving truck. The next day, we headed eastward, with his dad and me driving the moving truck and the happy couple in one of their vehicles. Now that her guy finished college, they’re trying their fortunes back in Pennsylvania, where he grew up.
I know his parents will be happy to have him closer to home, and they’re both obviously fond of our eldest daughter. Selfishly, we’re going to miss having her around here, though.
I’ve been reminiscing with her lately how similar this feels to my first big move, when I was a year older than she is now. I’d left Ohio to try my fortunes with a new job working at a big newspaper in Georgia.
During that move, my dad and I traded shifts driving that moving truck on a 14-hour journey to my new place. Once we unloaded the truck, I had one of the best weekends of my life, exploring the local cuisine and landmarks with my dad.
It was also very emotional for me when I took him to the airport, hearing him tell me how much he loved me and how much he’d miss me before he got on a plane back to Ohio. I’m sure he’d said it before, but it hit me harder knowing he’d be 750 miles away.
At one point, my daughter shared she wasn’t even sure if we’d miss her. Perhaps she thought we’d fight more about leaving.
Rest assured, my dearest daughter, you’ll be missed greatly. A day comes when you have to let your children make their own choices and follow the various twists and turns in that maze of life.
Sure, you’ll find plenty of dead ends along the way. We know you’ll find your share of treasures along the way.
And, as we reminded her, she can always follow that same path the other way, 530 miles back to us, for our unconditional love and support. Maybe she’ll follow the same path I did, coming back to Ohio years later after a couple more detours. Maybe she’ll only return to visit.
Whatever the case, I’m sure I’ll probably be doing the same thing I did two decades ago, trying to make her laugh and treasuring whatever time we get together.
ONLY ON LIMAOHIO.COM
See past columns by David Trinko at LimaOhio.com/tag/trinko.
David Trinko is editor of The Lima News. Reach him at 567-242-0467, by email at [email protected] or on Twitter @Lima_Trinko.
