"Never lend your car to anyone to whom you have given birth." - Erma Bombeck

Oh my. It was only yesterday that I was pushing the jog stroller...or pulling the bike cart behind me on my bike....or teaching how to race the big wheels.....or holding my breath for those first moments with the Playskool plastic roller skates....or sending my 15 month old out on the ice to skate with single blade skates....or taking off training wheels on the bike.....or watching the speed of the Razor Scooter as it rolled down the steep hill...or watching the sailboat sail off into the horizon with my little sailor...or watching the speed of the kid with the brand new high tech Rollerblades zip by me....or watching the little feet work so hard to make that Little Tykes cozy coupe roll.

Grace. She has passed her driver's test. She has completed the driver's education class. she has driven for miles. She has parallel parked, 3 point turned, blinkered, reversed down the driveway, stopped at stop signs, merged on interstates, righted on reds, slowed for pedestrians, driven over bridges, driven around rotaries, parked in shopping malls, grocery stores, friend's driveways and at sports fields...in Connecticut, New York and Massachusetts ....even little Rhode Island. She's ready. The paperwork will be finished today...it will be official.

I just had a flash of me putting her in her little automatic indoor baby swing....it was like sending her off to the moon on the Apollo Space Mission! My itty bitty baby was flying...through the air! I wasn't sure I could trust that motorized swing with our precious baby...how could I let go...what if....she LOVED it! She squealed! She smiled. She relaxed. So did I.

The next step. She's so ready. I know. It's me. It's one more step of letting go. I remember my own excitement when I could drive! My mom had great faith in me....as a driver and in life...just as I do with Grace.

Wait! Snap! As in Snap out of it! I can hear it already....like nails on the chalkboard, "Mom! Can I have the car?" I have an even greater faith that I'll be hearing those words quite a bit! And then T.J. will start....ahhhhhhhh! We haven't even gotten to the D.M.V. yet....why do I already feel stranded?

Time