I’m not crying anymore, but I have to admit I had a few emotional moments earlier today. I wasn’t alone. As I’m writing, I am still a couple of hours from home after taking my youngest sons to start their college experience in Nashville, Tennessee. As we said our final goodbyes to the boys I did a great job of holding back the floodgates — until my husband started choking up. My oldest son was next. Then, it was all over for me, too!
Our journey this weekend hasn’t been particularly smooth. During the drive to Nashville we had a delay already in Indy when our vehicle’s electrical system malfunctioned. Thankfully, there was a repair shop that could work us in. Five hours and a new alternator later, we were back on the road. The boys missed their scheduled move-in time, but we were still able to unload their things that night. Today, our trip home has required several detours due to accidents and highway closures. Our road time for this leg of our journey has had at least three extra hours added. That’s not too bad by comparison, I suppose! Even so, as we consider our trip, we were always safe and everything worked out. The journey was just more difficult than we had thought it would be.
As my younger sons start their college lives, my oldest son is preparing to leave to study overseas this year. I am so excited for them all, but my heart aches because I will miss them so much. I also know that sometimes their journey will be harder than expected. I am already praying that they will stay safe, and I look forward to the times that I will be able to welcome them back home again.
Perhaps you can relate directly to the chapter my life is in now. Maybe you even took kids to college recently. Maybe you can relate from a more experienced vantage point, recalling the stage of having your kids move on to college or the work force. Maybe you are earlier in your journey and significant life decisions for your kids are looming large in front of them right now. Perhaps, your lives are consumed with the daily tasks of life and high school graduation and whatever comes next is nothing but a distant reality. No matter what phase of life you are in, you have probably experienced part of your own journey being harder than expected.
Our lives here on earth are marred by sin, and the result is that many days, months, and years are harder than expected. Take heart, though. The experience of life on this planet is not where our journey ends. Because of the death and resurrection of Jesus, by God’s abundant grace, through faith, the end of our earthbound journey will be a new beginning of our eternal life in heaven. Our Heavenly Father will welcome us home as His dearly loved children, and the only possible tears will be those of pure joy!
Mindy Walz,
English Teacher and Parent of Alumni