Once more, I have an empty nest. My youngest son just drove away at the end of his final Winter Break from college. Andrew is doing a beautiful job of gradually coming into adulthood. He has learned a lot about life, Chemistry, Music, love and how to balance work, studies, exercise, and social life at college. He is getting the benefit of my planning and saving, his aunts’ saving and his hard work. I have no doubt that Andrew will launch well into the adult world as a financially stable, responsible adult. I am also glad to have gotten to witness his transformation. There is no doubt, I am exceptionally proud of this man. And, I acknowledge that he has made the choices and put in the effort to earn his bachelor of science from an outstanding institution.
Over the next few days, I will get used to the extra quiet upstairs. I will miss the hugs in the morning and Andrew’s throaty chuckle when he is talking to his girlfriend over zoom. I will leave a light on upstairs for a few days, so the windows don’t look dark when I drive up after work or evening activities. Andrew cleaned his room thoroughly before leaving and helped me wash all of his bedding. The last thing we did together before he left was set the room up for guests. I went to grab the towels from the bathroom and he had already washed, dried, folded and put them all away. Everything will be waiting for him after graduation and likely before then if he comes home for Spring break.
Soon, we move into the great unknown: life after college. I know what I did when I graduated and all the twists and turns that happened over the past 35 years. Andrew plans to work for a year or two and then apply to graduate programs in Chemistry. He updated his resume, loaded it onto LinkedIn and Indeed over the past week. Already he is getting alerts about jobs he may want as a lab technician or in a research lab. There is so much yet unknown and yet to be chosen in his life. My heart and some prayers accompany Andrew on the next part of his journey. I hope that he experiences more joy than pain, has more successes than losses and has enough challenges to help him appreciate the many gifts and talents he has been given.
…and today my part of my heart is en route to Williamsburg and Andrew’s unwritten future.
Mindful Musings 