Saving the Worms

We've had a good amount of rain in the past few days and while others are dismal to see this weather, it brings back fond memories for me.  When my daughter Kerrin was very young, maybe 6 or 7, she created a wonderful rainy day memory for me.  As we would take the short walk down to the bus stop, and the streets were damp and slick, she would make intermittent stops along the way, to save the worms, (you know all those worms that mysteriously appear on the pavement after a good deal of rain)   Well, Kerrin would stoop and pick up each one and move it off the pavement to the grass.  She was determined to rescue them from a horrible death by traffic, whether by foot or car.  As she was scurrying down the street, she would shout, "We have to save the worms!", and she did her best to rescue as many as she could before the bus came.  Often, she would end up sprinting to the bus to catch it before it left.  Many more worms were in need of saving, but her time had run out.  Every rainy day, when I walk the streets and see all those worms strewn about the pavement, I think about all those worms Kerrin saved all those years ago.  All those fortunate worms that had someone looking after them.
 It got me thinking about the similarities to my own life and the life of any parent, guardian, or caretaker.  We are there to help our children succeed, steer them in the right direction, and watch over them until they are successfully on their own.  We are their sole saviors for a long time, until they find their own patch of grass, to build their own futures and then we are more, a fond memory than we are a necessity. My life is proceeding toward the second phase of this cycle much faster than I am ready for.  Much like Kerrin, I wish I had more time, but the bus is already turning the corner and I can't keep it waiting.  My oldest child is already on the grass and he's ventured on to find the perfect spot to burrow down.  My second child is in my hand, but wiggling out toward the freedom  of the turf as well.  I have done my job steering them clear of dangers and keeping them safe.  Their  success is now more in their hands than it is in mine.  They've meandered their way toward a safe and secure future and the hand that saved them, is a fond memory that is no longer able to contain their will.  I've resigned myself to the prospect of all of us, turning toward a new landscape, that delivers a brighter more independent glade, with rich soil, to harbor as many worms as we can gather.  Saving worms never sounded more appealing!