Leavin' the Nest

This picture was taken a couple years ago on the Pelican River. I am in a sentimental mood right now and thought it was appropriate.

I've been thinking a lot about my children and their next step in life. Ben is working on his Law Enforcement degree and he and his lovely wife are working hard on making a new life for themselves. Anna has been getting rejection and acceptance letters for Universities and is trying to decide where she wants to bloom for the next four years. And so where does that leave ol' Davey and I? Do we stay in International teaching for another couple years? Do we return to MN and hope, (against hope?) that a job opens up for us? Or do we try to stay here in Kuwait where we know what we've got? This is definately time for the Next Step in the Brown family. The term EMPTY NEST is soon going to apply to us. I sure think about my parents and what it must have been like for them. My oldest sistah is 21 years older than I am so when I left home three days after my high school graduation, it was the first time in 38 years my parents hadn't had children at home. My mom once told me she cried for three days. I get it now.

Thinking back to when I was a senior in high school (yes my memory does go back that far!) I remember wanting desperately to LEAVE HOME and try my wings somewhere else. I wanted so badly to GROW UP and have adult experiences. I wanted to leave my lil small town (population 796 at that time) and see new things, meet different people, try amazing things. Listening to Anna talk about where she wants to go and her reasons bring back so many memories. And I guess one would say that I've turned out okay for all my adventures. Reasonably so anyway.

Once Ben said to me "Mom don't you remember what it's like to be 18?" I replied that indeed I did but I didn't know what it was like to be a parent of an 18 year old so please give me a break. I learned from him that a mom needs to let go and watch. Like when children are learning to walk, you want to put barriers around them, be there when they fall, encourage them to keep going--but maybe, just maybe, secretly hoping they won't learn...just yet...because it will mean that they are growing up.

I know, I know, this is a natural stage of life. And I am thankful that my children have opportunities to try their wings. As long as they know that somewhere in the world, there will always be a nest for them to return to--even if only for a brief rest.