More Change

Family change can be an emotion- ally draining thing, especially for the parents, even when it's all good. This weekend there was a confluence of that for Victoria and me when I first picked up Austin and Meagan at San Francisco International Airport very early Friday morning after their "red-eye" flight back from their honeymoon in Kauai, Hawaii. Their tan bodies and glowing smiles were a sight for any eyes, especially ones that are sore (although ours are not). They dropped me off at my office in the City while they headed back to our house on the East Bay to rest and unwind. Barret was also home as he's now out of school for the year, and Annie was on her way home for the weekend because she needed to attend a wedding nearby. That evening we had all eight (Austin, Meagan, Annie, Barret, Poppy, Willow, Victoria and me) of us in our (what-seems-like) increasingly smaller home for a reunion that we know will be difficult to repeat in the future. A few margaritas, BBQ-ed pork ribs, smashed potatoes (that's we we call em'), and a plate of warm chocolate chip cookies made for full tummies while we reminisced about Austin and Meagan's "wedding of the century" and honeymoon to boot. Thoroughly enjoying that evening sort of caused both Victoria and me to have "out of body" experiences where you can't believe that you're talking to your son who's now no longer one, but two. Although still an individual, we will now think of him as a unit with his love, Meagan. This is a very good thing.

The weekend also highlighted Barret's completion of his Sophomore year of high-school when we received his report card with perfect grades ("We all thank you, God.") and imminent transition into his Junior year. We may only have a little over 24 months left with him in our home. Annie's presence and studies for her finals next week marked the near completion of her Junior year of college and entree into her first (of two) Senior years before she receives her Bachelor's degree. We also moved the two little girls out of their room and into ours so that we could make room for Meagan's younger sister (Kristen) to come live with us for the summer as she participates in a working internship a few miles south of where we live. (She'll move in with us next weekend, and we're so excited to share our lives together for a few months.)

And to top off the weekend, we all went out to dinner last night at the Cheese- cake Factory and jammed into a little booth that made for cozy confines and good conversation. When we got back to the house Austin and Meagan had the challenge of packing all of their wedding gifts (which they opened on Saturday) into their small little Toyota Camry before they headed back to Colorado. Unbelievably, Austin managed to painstakingly and meticulously pack each item so there wasn't a square inch to spare and successfully got it all in there. They were definitely riding a little low this morning as they pulled out of the driveway to start their three-leg trip to Lone Tree, Colorado.

So you see, it is all so very good and certainly as it should be, but the toll on our psyches is a bit much right now. We're trusting that God's perfect design for all of this provides comfort, but most of all will remove some of the sting of life's natural course. I was basking in my own little pity party for a moment yesterday as I contemplated all of this when Annie asked me how I was doing. I told her it was hard to let everyone go, especially not knowing when we would have these kinds of moments to share in again. Austin and Meagan smiled at me and said, "Well it won't be long, Dad, because we're coming back to be in a wedding in early August and need a place to stay, so we're hoping we can do this again then." My countenance was lifted and I'm already eagerly anticipating our next reunion, just two months away.

For now, we release our children again into the hands of our loving God. It seems like we're constantly reminded lately that we need to hold them loosely in the palms of our own hands. I/we do look forward to that day, however, when we'll no longer have to say good-bye to each other.

Lovingly Drained,

Tom (& Victoria)