Rites of Passage

My 12 year old daughter had a friend stay over last night.  Her friend woke up this morning and came running upstairs in a panic repeating, "A terrible thing has happened!" Seeing that she had blood in awkward places I tried to assure her that a terrible thing had not happened.  I got her some new clothes, showed her how to use feminine products, and left her alone with my instructions to change.  When she emerged from the bathroom she was panicking once again, so once again I assured her this was normal.  She kept exclaiming, "I wasn't ready for this to happen yet!"
She called her mother, who didn't seem the least bit excited about the news.  I was surprised.  Here her daughter is going through a rite of passage, and she neither gets excited, or offers any words of comfort. I then told this young lady that I was excited for her, that this was not a terrible thing, but that it marked an exciting time in her life; she was becoming a young lady.  I gave her a hug and told her congratulations.
I know this post may seem out of place, or even awkward for some people to read.  However, I'm filled with excitement and love this morning.  Excitement for having the opportunity to celebrate this event with my daughter and her friend.  A renewed sense of love for the both of them as I watch them share in this new experience and all the emotions it brings with it.  Raising a 12 year old girl can be trying, to say the least, but days like this are a good reminder that life is what we make it.  And that life feels much more full when we share it with others.  I'm watching my little girl grow up right before my eyes.....and today, life slowed down just a bit as we all stopped to celebrate the little things and acknowledge that life is ever changing.  Although we can be resistant to change, if we shift the lens of our perspective and walk through the change hand in hand with another....our fears can begin to melt away as we learn to smile and embrace the new.