Sometimes I think an ostrich has the right idea. When life gets a bit scary, put your head in the sand. Don’t look, don’t think. Danger…what danger?

My daughter has her pretrial hearing this week for her 3 felony theft counts… one count for stealing a computer and 2 counts of identity theft (Falling Off a Cliff Edge and Looking for Grace). I believe this is where the judge decides whether there is enough evidence to go forward with a trial. There will be enough of course. Although I do not know for sure, I am guessing that from this hearing, my daughter will be led in handcuffs to the county jail to await trial.

I keep thinking about my daughter. She sent a picture of herself this weekend, outside with snow falling down around her. Is she thinking about this upcoming week… that she may not see or touch snow for months or years? I would.

To this day, my daughter has not told us that she is facing a trial. It’s only by the grace of God that we even know. I was grief-stricken on the day of her arraignment, thinking she may go into jail from that day on. She is still free. I’m bracing myself emotionally for this week…I know that events need to play out and she needs to finally face legal consequences for her actions. I know that intellectually but my heart wishes that the events did not have to play out.

I often read bumper stickers on the back of cars while waiting at stop lights: “Proud parent of an honor student”, “Proud parent of a soccer player”. I have never seen “Proud parent of a prison inmate”. Those are the parents who silently live their life the best they can. You don’t know who they are …in the grocery checkout line behind you, the vendor that is selling your company a product, the person working out next to you at the gym. We would like to be the ostrich but we know we have to go on.

Monday is coming, the work week will start. Take a deep breathe. Smile and pretend that your world is OK and that your heart isn’t broken into a million pieces.