Early this morning, I said another good-bye to my daughter, Rhiannon. I have said good-bye to her twice before but this time was very different. This time Rhiannon has been transferred by her employer, TD Bank because she has been promoted to the Marketing Department located at the corporate office in Portland, Maine.
Intead of attending college after graduation from high school, my daughter chose to move out and get a job which had, at the time, gone against every hope and wish I had for her. I fervently believed that college after high school would better prepare her for the job market, better financial success, which of course would lead her to a happy life.
Independently she left and set out to live life on her own terms. She hustled as a waitress in a busy restaurant in Portland, Maine until she was promoted to the managment team. She took some evening college classes in which she excelled but decided to move on. Again, she packed her bags, got into a car and this time moved to Portland, Oregon where she got a job in the retail business. As a part of adult continuing education, she continued to take classes even while she worked at her full time job.
By now, I think she realized adult higher education would truly be in her best interest. I encouraged her to do this at every step of the way because education had always been as important to me as breathing and I so wanted to pass that on to her as m legacy.
Two years ago Rhiannon returned to the East Coast as an assistant manager for the Coach Company. When further advancement stagnated for her she gathered up her transcripts,references, and confidence, applied for a position as assistant branch manager at TD Bank. As an employee of TD Bank she has been using tution reimbursement to continue taking courses in the marketing program of study.
Since Rhiannon has been home she and I have taken courses simultaneously. We have established our Adult Education Programs as a wonderful common ground for interesting conversations as well as getting feed back from one another.
My daughter is a hero in my eyes. She stood in the shadow of her older brother (by 13 months) as he excelled in playing soccer. She attended each and every game without contention though at times, it seemed just too much to ask of her. With passion and determination she has carved out her own place in the world as a strong, independent woman, choosing to be unaffected by past negative experiences. Instead, she is convicted in her stride as she propels herself onward toward every next step, achievement, and advancement.
We as mothers, stand, at times almost invisibly as the backdrop for our daughters' ultimate success in their world. We hope. We dream. We pray. In the end, we watch in complete awe as they go.
And go she did. Rhiannon is on her way to Portland as I write this entry. She has her stuff, her beautiful, happy smile, and somewhere tucked away safely, is the perennial love and respect of her mum.
Intead of attending college after graduation from high school, my daughter chose to move out and get a job which had, at the time, gone against every hope and wish I had for her. I fervently believed that college after high school would better prepare her for the job market, better financial success, which of course would lead her to a happy life.
Independently she left and set out to live life on her own terms. She hustled as a waitress in a busy restaurant in Portland, Maine until she was promoted to the managment team. She took some evening college classes in which she excelled but decided to move on. Again, she packed her bags, got into a car and this time moved to Portland, Oregon where she got a job in the retail business. As a part of adult continuing education, she continued to take classes even while she worked at her full time job.
By now, I think she realized adult higher education would truly be in her best interest. I encouraged her to do this at every step of the way because education had always been as important to me as breathing and I so wanted to pass that on to her as m legacy.
Two years ago Rhiannon returned to the East Coast as an assistant manager for the Coach Company. When further advancement stagnated for her she gathered up her transcripts,references, and confidence, applied for a position as assistant branch manager at TD Bank. As an employee of TD Bank she has been using tution reimbursement to continue taking courses in the marketing program of study.
Since Rhiannon has been home she and I have taken courses simultaneously. We have established our Adult Education Programs as a wonderful common ground for interesting conversations as well as getting feed back from one another.
My daughter is a hero in my eyes. She stood in the shadow of her older brother (by 13 months) as he excelled in playing soccer. She attended each and every game without contention though at times, it seemed just too much to ask of her. With passion and determination she has carved out her own place in the world as a strong, independent woman, choosing to be unaffected by past negative experiences. Instead, she is convicted in her stride as she propels herself onward toward every next step, achievement, and advancement.
We as mothers, stand, at times almost invisibly as the backdrop for our daughters' ultimate success in their world. We hope. We dream. We pray. In the end, we watch in complete awe as they go.
And go she did. Rhiannon is on her way to Portland as I write this entry. She has her stuff, her beautiful, happy smile, and somewhere tucked away safely, is the perennial love and respect of her mum.
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