Speaking of independence...

Daughter # 1 had some good things to say about this in a song she wrote recently.

In this imperfect world
I wanna hold you close ...
Don’t wanna see you cry
Don’t wanna see you hurt
But I’ve got to let you fly
Try out your wings.

-- from "Song for Erin" by Anna Elliot Watanabe

Anna with Erin

If you follow Gaijin for Life you may have seen his recent entry My Sister is a Pop Star . Anna was asked by her former employers to write song lyrics and then sing the song for a CD they recently produced - 6 Sapporo moms singing songs they wrote for their children. Click on the link below and and then click again on Track 2: Song for Erin/Anna.

Click here to Listen

Eventually we need to let our children go, but we don't need to fear. I like the final verse in Anna's song:

There’s One who says:
“I’ll cover you with my feathers”
He’s watching to see you don’t fall
“I’ll cover you with my feathers"
He’s always there when you call

[God] will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. Psalm 91:4