Sara Evans Shares Emotional Tribute to Son, Avery, With ‘Letting You Go’ Video

Sara Evans wrote “Letting You Go” about her son Avery, who just left for college. The song, which is on her latest Words album, became a tribute to her oldest child, and a glimpse into the mother and son’s long goodbye.

“I’m just going to be stone cold. I’m not going to think and I’m just going to talk,” Evans says in a video shared exclusively with PopCulture.com. “When Avery was born, I became a mom, and that was the greatest joy of my life.”

As the song plays, with Evans singing lines like, “Wasn’t I brushing the hair from your face / Wasn’t I just drying your tears and singing you sweet dreams at night / Seems like it was just yesterday / Suddenly you’re seventeen and it’s just 18 months ’til goodbye,” images flash of Avery on the screen, from his early days as a baby to his last year of high school.

“You’re about to leave a whole household of people that love you unconditionally, and love you no matter what. I believe that God has a plan,” Evans tells Avery, before pausing to get her emotions under control.

The song, which also says, “Loving you is holding you / Lifting you up / Planting the seeds and then watching you grow / Even though it’s hard to do / It’s letting you fall / And giving you wings so you fly on your own / ‘Cause part of loving you is letting you go,” became a self-fulfilling prophecy for the young man, who just celebrated his 19th birthday.

“He deserves everything he’s dreaming of and more,” the proud mom concludes. “He really and truly does.”

Evans previously shared a photo on social media of Avery’s room, shortly after he left their home in Alabama for Nashville.

“So I just got home from moving Avery to Nashville and I walked upstairs and saw his empty bedroom,” Evans write. “For all you moms out there with your eldest child just leaving home, let’s all say a prayer for each other tonight. This is REALLY REALLY difficult. More than I thought it would be. I knew this day was coming but wow, it hits you like a ton of bricks! My girls and I have been crying for several days.

“However, I do know that we are so blessed and I know that this is all a part of life and I am so happy for my son and excited for him to begin his journey into his adult life,” she adds. “Anyway, cheers to all the parents and siblings out in the world tonight going ‘someone is missing.’”

Download “Letting You Go” on iTunes.

Photo Credit: Kristin Barlowe