Being home from college for our daughter Abbie is insignificant in distance, but the three and a half months and two miles has been a major step on her path toward independence. She is developing a life of her own not to distance herself from her birth family, but she is making that expanded network of friends that is a healthy part of moving into adulthood. Last night she went to a movie with friends and today she is shopping with a friend.

I’m proud of who Abbie is and what she has been learning in the classroom and in the dorm. Since late August she has not had her parents telling her what to do and when to do it. This has been good for her and it’s been good for Cindy and me.