Today was a day I have dreaded since the day our Nanny came into our life. She is the rare gem of a person that is so incredibly easy to love and so darned hard to say good by to. She came into our life at a time when we needed a savior. My husband and I had busy careers that took us across town from each other. We had no family nearby and day care was not an option for us.
Along came Lupe. She walked in the door and scooped up Lil in her arms and to our surprise, Lil took right to her. They connected instantly and as we watched Lupe's eyes, we knew that she was "the one."
Day one . . . we found our little Lil in the tiniest of pig tails and dear Lupe grinning from ear to ear. Lil's hair would never be the same - every day we came home anxious to see the "do" du jour. And the bows, so many bows. Lupe never let Lil out the door without bows big or small adorning her blond ringlets. She would even take her own money to buy bows for Lil.
Her voice never raised, she held Lil's attention and kept her mind and body going. Always nurturing, always loving, and often laughing. Our Lil grew and blossomed under Lupe's care.
In no time, Lupe came to love Lil, Lil came to love Lupe, and Lupe became indispensable. She giggled and laughed at Lil and entertained us with stories of people asking if Lil was her daughter as they witnessed the two of them chattering away in Spanish.
My job situation has forced us to wean ourselves from our Lupe. I knew it would be hard to tell her, I just didn't know how hard. But we did. She cried, I cried, even though my head tells me Lil is ready and will be fine. My heart breaks for Lupe and maybe even more, for me.
With no real family nearby, Lupe has been Lil's surrogate Mom and mine too sometimes. So, if you know anyone who needs the best Nanny in the world, let me know. It's time to let her go and work her magic on another loving family. Letting go might just be easier if we know Lupe has a safe place to land.
