The Bridge

So the boy, I mean, the young man, is leaving for college tomorrow.  Some of you have crossed this bridge before.  You are driving along, coasting really, and there is a sign on the side of the road that says, "Bridge Ahead, 9 miles".  You know it's coming because you can count the mile markers.  Mile marker 1.0 - high school, 2.0 - wisdom teeth removal, 3.0 - summer job, 4.0 - driver's license, 5.0 - owns a Mustang, 6.0 - graduation, 7.0 - girlfriend, 8.0 - packing, 9.0 - good-bye mom.  You know the bridge gets you from one side of the road to the other.  You know it's necessary, inevitable, unavoidable, inescapable, undeniable, (shall I go on?).  You just gotta cross that bridge.  There is no turning around, turning back, backtracking,  backpedaling, dodging, (shall I go on?).  You just gotta cross that bridge.  So, you resign yourself to do it well. You go to Home Depot and you get five 16" x 12" boxes and you pack up your child's life.  There is no room for lectures or home cooked meals or vacations.  Just the basics; pants, shoes, shirts, computer, alarm clock, laundry bag (with instructions) and underwear.  It seems like you're missing something.  This bridge has been crossed by many, but of course, when you are crossing it, it seems insurmountable, gigantic, massive, colossal, Herculean (shall I go on?).  You just gotta cross that bridge.  You gas up the car and feed the boy.  You move forward and pray that all the efforts you put forth will bear fruit and that no one will run out of fuel along the way.  The bridge, you come to see, is actually something you have been building for years and, believe it or not, leads to an amazing adventure.  It is sturdy.  You can do it, he can do it!  Yes, it's scary and unknown, but only to us, God knows the path He has laid out for His children. There is no fear in love, for perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18).  Good-bye son, safe travels.

Remember Hawaii?

Of all the really great parenting moments I have had in my life, why is it that my kids seem to remember my insane moments?  One curse word while driving, charging a neighbor after he cut down a tree on our property while shouting, "You're a  punk!", forgetting to tell my son hermit crabs need food and water to survive, barricading the kitchen until their rooms were clean, shouting at them that I didn't care if little green martians came down from Mars and crapped in the car, they had to clean it up.  What about the really cool red cowboy hat I bought daughter number 1 even though she didn't deserve it (and she only wore once - just saying), or the voice, piano, guitar, trumpet, flute lessons I got for them, or teaching them how to drive (while putting my own safety at risk), or the hours of watching them perform sports and music, or the really cool family vacations we took them on, and all the while photographing said events (really that part was for me - you know, proof).  Since they don't seem to remember the cool stuff anyway, I have decided to start making stuff up.  I'm going to tell them we've all been to Hawaii.  I'll pull some pictures off the internet and photoshop our faces in, print them, put them in an album and casually say, "Hey, remember when we went to Hawaii?  Wasn't that really fun?  Your dad and I are awesome parents."   I'll show them pictures and say stuff like, "Remember that good pizza place we went to?" or "Remember the gnarly waves?"  What do you think?   I bet I can convince at least one of them to think they've actually been to Hawaii . . .