When That Door Closes

The house was old.  Built somewhere during the first quarter of the 1900's.  Its walls were constructed of plaster and lathes.  There was an open staircase, right inside the front door.  Upstairs, there were four bedrooms and the only full bathroom in the entire house.  Four bedrooms were perfect for that family.  Besides the couple, who bought the house, there were three daughters.  Throughout the years of young girls growing into adults, there were many times the staircase endured angry steps, traversing upward, only to be finished with a grand finale of a slamming door.  Tiny pieces of plaster could be heard falling inside of the walls.

When the oldest daughter was ready to leave the nest, the couple gathered her meager belongings.  When it was determined that the car held the most important items, they left the comforts of the small rural town and headed for the city.  It was there, that the young mother was about to learn something that no one can ever prepare for.  After leaving their firstborn alone, in a tiny apartment.  The mother shut the car door and burst into tears.  She knew at that moment, life, as they had been so accustomed to, would never be the same.  She and her husband sat silently for a bit.  Just when he thought it would be a good time to leave, the young mother realized she had left her purse behind.  She jumped out of the car and ran up the steps to the apartment door.  She hurried in and there, sitting in a rocking chair, the only piece of furniture in the tiny front room, was her oldest daughter, tears streaming down her face.  With all the courage she could muster, less she gather her daughter into her arms and take her back home, she grabbed her purse and left.

It is the season for new beginnings.  The young fledglings are trying out their wings, wanting to taste freedom on their own.  The hope of a job well done rests in the forefront of every parents' mind as they let go and watch their child walk through a door that they themselves  cannot enter.  A mother's heart knows that when that door closes, it is true that another one opens.  But it does not do so without leaving a scar upon her heart.