Let it go....Let it Go...Don't Hold it Back Anymore!

I thought it appropriate to post this African version of Frozen, now that my teenager has returned from Rwanda! This song has been playing a lot in our house. In fact the words keep playing like a soundtrack in the back of my mind.

"Let it go, let it go...don't hold it back anymore....I don't care what the people say....the cold never bothered me anyways."

It was hard to let go of Alexandra and let her go on a 26 hour journey clear across the world.  We definitely had to let her go.  This is our baby of four, our fourteen year old. This was her dream, something she felt she REALLY wanted to do.  In fact, my husband and I were talking to some other parents of the eighth graders who were on the trip.  They said the same thing.  Their kids kept bringing it up, as if this was what they needed and wanted to do.  And, in the end, we all felt the same way...who were we to stand in their way?

Each of the kids had to raise their own money to go.  They had to trust that God would provide and use birthday money, Christmas money, and lots of generous friends' and families' money to make it possible.  They had to get Yellow Fever shots and take Malaria medication.  They had to make sacrifices and get all of their homework done for the six days of school they would be missing.  Her teachers were amazing.  One of her favorite teachers told her that he was so glad she was able to experience Rwanda and realize there is a much bigger world out there.  The teachers even graciously allowed her to stand up and tell about her journey upon her return.

I think we all live so much more freely when we "let it go," don't you?  I'm not saying it is easy at all. Perhaps there is some part of your life where you need to let it go? "Don't hold it back anymore."  I know as a parent it seems like it is always a daily process of letting go...kids as adults to kids in college to kids as teenagers to kids when they were babies and toddlers.  I think ultimately when we let it go, we truly become who we were made to be and we allow our kids to do the same.  You might have heard the expression from Rick Warren, "Hurting people hurt others."  A popular women's speaker recently said, "Free people, free people."  Love that.

Here is some comic relief for you of a dad who is a weatherman who decides to put Frozen to his weather newscast.  He thinks his son might be ashamed...but the cold never bothered him anyway!

Enjoy and let it go!