The College Drop Off – August 15, 2018
A day of mixed emotions it was.
As much as I wanted my departing words to have true meaning and inspiration, the only thing at the tip of my tongue was “don’t take shit from anyone.” Thank goodness adulthood has taught me better. A simple “I love you and I’ll truly miss you“ left my lips. As I handed him a letter to open later, my wife sensed the weakness in my knees and politely asked me to retrieve our car. I walked away in a fog but looked back repetitively. I didn’t have the privilege of listening to their conversation, but the smiles and warm embrace was calming and beautiful. As we finally waved goodbye, Julian voiced a clear, “I’ll be fine”.
Leaving our first born at UMHB was far from easy but I realized our years of nurturing, cultivating, molding and allowing a heuristic path had appropriately prepared him for the next stage. The day was emotionally taxing but as I had expected, Erin was the anchor in our stormy sea. The drive up was easy and dorm setup wasn’t bad. As for the drive home, it was vivid and cathartic.
Although balance and consistency define our family, my unscripted work hours are sometimes long. Without cataloging each event, Erin has many times solely assumed the head of household, cared for our son’s needs, performed an endless amount of domestic duties, volunteered at numerous school functions and never faltered with her surplus of love. Complain, she does not.
The commute home was one of the few times we have driven three hours without the radio belting out a few oldies. We reminisced, shared thoughts, dreams, moments of silence and shed a few tears. We arrived safely and in an instant our house of five was now four.
A time of adjustment is upon us but certainly not doubt. The glass is most definitely half full and we are proud Crusader Parents.
