By Rina Risper
Recently, my daughter Anissa and I went on a trip to Lexington, KY. Bluegrass country with its sprawling lush pastures dotted with horses was breathtaking. I could not tell the difference between the types of horse but it was so beautiful and serene.
It was prom weekend she did not want to go, so it became our coming of age trip. We did not have a real itinerary. We rented a car and set out for adventure on a Saturday morning. The six hour drive was beautiful. It took us some time to get there but I was paying attention to everything around me. I wanted to remember her and the sights and the smells of every city we passed through.
We arrived in Kentucky and our friends, Ada Jennings and Barnetta Jennings met us. Funny how you meet people who say, “If you ever visit Kentucky look us up.”
The Jennings family was beautifully gracious and it was wonderful being around another mother and daughter. We especially loved our visit to New Vine Baptist Church. Rev. Stewart Titus Peoples gave a riveting sermon about John 16:15.
The church welcomed us and Anissa was welcomed as a graduating senior. I felt like I was at home.
My daughter and I spent a lot of time together shopping to look for a graduation dress and eating. It was hard to say goodbye to the Jennings family but we had to make our way back home.
We stopped in Cincinnati, OH and had lunch on the way back to Michigan.
While she slept, I had so many moments to ponder. I wondered where had the time gone. A few weeks later my only baby girl had her Open House and she graduated.
She is on her way to Western Michigan University. She made the color guard team. She works three jobs to pay for school and the occasional Insomnia Cookie. I am so pleased that the vision that I had for her is coming to fruition.
As I watched her sleeping in the dimly lit passenger seat of the car, I said, “I did really good God. Thank you for making our lives so fulfilling. Please keep her safe mentally, physically and spiritually.”
Love people,
Rina Risper
