And so my heart grieves

Last Wednesday William flew to visit my daddy and bonus mama. I can't say I was a nervous wreck, but I can't say I was calm either. (And this was before I knew that Chris Jr not Chris Sr took him to the airport!!!)

He had cash; he had a cell phone; he had a slightly neurotic controlling mama keeping tabs on him through GPS. (They can also keep tabs on me which makes my "I'm on my ways" they used to suspect were not always completely truthful (and they were right--I might not have been on my way but I was thinking I needed to be on my way) much more difficult to use.) And he texted me as he boarded the plane, when he landed, as he boarded the next plane and when he landed.

This was a fairly simple flight path. William left Louisville and flew to Charlotte. In Charlotte he had a 2 1/2 hour layover, but he had a doting aunt on alert should anything happen and she needed to get to the airport. From Charlotte he flew to Tri City where Daddy and Marguerite met him in the airport-didn't just park and wait for him to come out. They drove to Norton where a hot meal, bath and a bed were waiting. William flew from one city where he left people he loves knowing we would be reunited in 10 days to a city where he was greeted by people he loves and who love him. All of this I knew and yet it was still hard to let him go. I still felt uneasy until I knew he was safely in my daddy's car. Letting your children go is hard--and so my heart grieves.

My heart grieves for the mamas and daddys who have to let--encourage--force their children to flee Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and other countries that are infested with gangs and drug cartels.  They have to flee these countries where violence is the norm of the day; Honduras has the highest murder rate in the world. These parents see their children leaving not knowing if or when they'll see them again, having no means of communication, and knowing the dangers that could await them along the way. These parents believe they have no choice but to choose the risk of sending their children on--the risk they may perish along the way because they are convinced there is no question their children will die if they stay.

The immigration issue is political and complex.  I don't pretend to understand it.  But I do understand the fear in a parent's heart as they send a child alone into the world.  And so my heart grieves.