starting again

It seems that my family is shrinking again. I used to think of these times when the kids were younger, thinking that it was so far off. I had years ahead of me to think of that. Well, now those years are here, and my second is leaving home. It's not as easy as I imagined it would be. There are so many things that a mother worries about when their children leave. Will they be safe? will they make the right choices? will they be good examples to those around them? will they be kind and loving? Will they be strong in the values they have been taught their whole lives? And how will my heart go on? I don't think A mother can really be prepared for this, no matter how much she tells herself she is. I only pray that we have done enough....