I’ve decided the hardest part of being a parent is the letting go. That and when everyone is throwing up. That’s pretty tough too. But I hate the letting go.

My little daughter came to me recently with an expected but dreaded question for an almost 13-year-old. “Can I go ice skating Saturday night?” Sure, nothing wrong with that. We suited up and headed to the ice rink. “Can I have some money?” Well that’s expected. Sure. And then it happened. “You’re just dropping me off right?” What? Over my dead body!! “It’s 8:00 on a Saturday night and you’re in a public place with people we don’t know!” I hurled logically at her. She looked at me innocently with a look that said, “What’s the big deal?” Please…that’s a list longer than I have space for.

So my husband and I sat in the observation tower with a group of other good natured parents who were casually watching the skaters and trying not to panic when their child walk off the rink out of sight.

I remember all of this with my older daughter: the first day of school, the first day alone at the movies. I can still see her driving off alone in a car for the first time as I dry heaved in the driveway. So I know what’s coming and I’m trying to embrace it. I’m trying to realize that in the letting go is some pride and success-for the kids and for me. I think I'm learning the more I try to control everything, the more out of control everything gets!

Soon I will have to let my younger one go a little-even though she seems impossibly young to me still. I will have to let go and have faith in her and in me. While it’s one of the hardest parts, it’s one of the most important ones too I guess. She might want to skate away sooner than I want her to but I have faith we’ll find the balance and the right time for both of us.

Spring is a time of renewal, and the perfect time to let go of whatever is holding you back in life.  Think of it as spring cleaning.  Sweeping out your mind and removing anything from the past that isn't serving you.

Holding on to negativity creates stress in your mind and in your body. This stress leads to inflammation, which is the root cause of many degenerative diseases. Therefore, letting go isn't just about peace of mind, it's also about preserving your health.

Letting go can take on many forms. It can take the form of releasing fearful thoughts or other thoughts that are holding you back, but it can also take the form of releasing a dream of what you had hoped would transpire, but has not yet happened in your life.  
When letting go of a dream, I like to think of the quote from Helen Keller "When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us."

Holding on to the past keeps us stuck in our story.  Whether that story is a good one or a bad one is not of concern, what matters is that we are focused on the present and open to whatever the future will bring.

Ironically, as I am writing this, I notice that today's message on my daily calendar of inspirational quotes says "Each day is a new opportunity. Yesterday is done and gone, and today is the first day of my future."