Personal Solutions column by Margie Ryerson, personalsolutions@comcast.net
Contra Costa Times, March 7, 2005
Transitions can be difficult, especially ones that may involve a sense of loss. Here are some ways readers have coped whentheir children left home:
"I just sent my daughter to college this fall, so my nest still feels extremely empty. However, how we launched her from the nest felt good.
Before she graduated from high school, we created a family journal of wisdom for her, inviting grandparents, aunts and uncles to share thier best advice, quotes and tales abouthow to lead a healthy, happy life. Soon it was full of tips about love, work, health, money, friendship and more fromthe people important to her. We gave it as a graduation gift. She was touched to have a record of her family's beliefs, with an invitation to talk more about life issues as they arise for her.
The project was so positive that Broadway Books agreed to publish a fill-in version we created to let other families do the same: "Words to Live By: a Journal of Wisdom for Someone You Love" (Emily and Kate Marshall, April 2005). I still miss her, to be sure, but it felt good to send her into the world with the counsel of loved ones. " -Kate Marshall
