It was 5:30 in the morning and I was up early, knowing that Round Two of The Moves was just ahead. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee downstairs lured me and I moved to sit in the quiet, still dark living room to enjoy a couple of cups before beginning what would prove to be a long day.
My morning prayers had been whispered earlier, in the stillness of my bedroom, as I awoke with, both, a sense of delightful anticipation and a sad pang of…well, something I couldn’t quite put my finger on.
That was the day, almost two years ago, that Jorge moved to his own College Town four hours away, and truly left our home looking dreadfully close to an…Empty Nest. I thought about what the next hours would sound like as we made the drive south. Did he feel a tad bit sad too? Maybe even a little scared at this new adventure he was about to embark upon? Would we talk of these things?
But in all honesty, I knew that all the heavy conversations were behind us. The past weeks and months had been dotted with conversations around our house. Conversations where we’d given advice, shared tips, communicated concerns, and mostly just tried to prepare this second son for the adventure that awaited him.
So I knew he was ready and, amazingly, so was I. Though I couldn’t deny the tears that refused to stay bottled any longer that last night he was home and I gave in and let my heart and mind explore the changes that were enveloping our family and our home, when the tears dried and my heart was still, I only felt joy.
Deep, true joy. Jorge would be fine. This next step in his life would mold him and help to shape him and his future.
That same son just completed his second year of college and just today moved out of the dorm and into an apartment. Yes – he has decided to not come home for the summer but to, instead, work and go to school in the town that he’s adopted as his own. Once again, my heart has sent whispered prayers heavenward and once again my mother’s heart has constricted just a bit at this change in our family’s landscape. It’s tough watching your young fly the nest. Yet I know that I’ve been preparing him his entire life for this moment.
And the truth is that I will still be right here, always ready to talk whenever and wherever he might need me.
In the meantime, I’m doing my best to take a step back and let him grow up and venture out, knowing that we’ve instilled in him a deep faith and equipped him with an everlasting hope.
And as for this Empty Nest thing, well as someone so aptly put it, “how can a nest be empty if it’s filled with good things?” And my nest is filled with many, many wonderfully enticing things. Love, hope, friendship and a safe place for us all.
Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. -Psalm 37:4