Monday morning I stood at the Jackson airport, gave my oldest child Holly a hug and kiss goodbye and sent her to New York and Washington, D.C.

She and other members of the senior and junior classes from Trinity were headed on what has become an annual trip for the junior class.

Holly’s class was unable to go last year with all the upheaval from Sept. 11.

Making the decision to allow her to go was not an easy one. As someone who keeps her television set on either the food network or MSNBC, I am well aware of the current state of international affairs.

Finally deciding that if we let terrorists prevent us from going places they have won anyway and with the March 17 deadline given by President Bush was after their return date I decided that she would be allowed to go.

Usually before a trip I have a talk with her about watching her purse, staying with her group and being sure to try a new restaurant for me.

In addition to that this time, I taught her how to buy and use travelers checks, and for the first time ever we discussed what to do if something new should happen on the war horizon and how to get home.

Like most teenagers, Holly has a cell phone, and I had instructed her to use it wisely. So Wednesday when my call ID showed her number I was sure I was receiving a call from somewhere important.

Rather than the Empire State Building, St. Patrick’s Cathedral or even Rockefeller Center, which by now they were scheduled to have visited, my call was from a Gap store.

Laughing, she explained that they were squeezing in a little shopping with the sight-seeing, and she had a quick question about a raincoat I had coveted from a catalog.

Important issues taken care of, she gave me a quick run-down and it seemed that everyone was having a wonderful time.

To several of the chaperones’ disappointment, the strike on Broadway meant their plan to see the production &uot;Aida&uot; would have to be cancelled.

To most of the kids’ delight a hockey game had replaced it. I’m not sure how well you know Coach David King (who happens to be chaperoning) and the junior and senior guys at Trinity, but I am sure that physical game would be right up their alley.

I laughed and told Holly that I wouldn’t be surprised if next week finds King and his guys out scouting for places to build an ice rink.

After we hung up I realized that I had remembered to say &uot;I love you and have fun,&uot; but most of all I had not &uot;harped&uot; on the terrorist issue anymore.

So even with deadlines staring us in the face and active and reserve troops being called up at an alarming rate, our kids have shown us that the true American spirit lives on.

And whether what they remember the most is their visit to the Empire State Building or the hockey game, what is important is that they remember that they had the freedom to go.

Christina Hall

writes a weekly column for The Democrat.