Reality!

Had dinner with Joel and Christin last night. They fed us and opened gifts! Was a lot of fun to see them. They also had already put together a photo album from their honeymoon!

It hasn't been super hard having Joel gone, I mean really he was hardly home at all the last 2 months he "lived" here! And having dinner together with the two of them at the house didn't seem different either, we had done that before! But when we left that was when the reality hit!! In a funny way, not a sad boo-hoo way! Just one of those..."ah" moments! As in when we said good night, it wasn't see you later (like he would follow us home later that night) but just goodbye....that was it! I didn't feel sad, it's just an odd feeling! He lived on his own for a couple years, so I am not new to his not sleeping at my house but this is so different.....much more final! Our new reality! I love Christin and am sooooo excited for them, us, and all of our lives! What a wonderful adventure this will be!

   Today as I was thinking about last night and how different things are, I started thinking about the "empty nest" is it syndrome???!!! Ok whatever they call it! We are not quite there yet, Alec will be here a little longer before heading off to a 4 year college,  but still I can feel it. The emptiness of the house, less to cook, less coming and going..... I can see where women (men too perhaps) would feel adrift. I have had moments of my own where I feel a bit adrift, now that the boys are grown, and I don't have to balance 4 different schedules! But I can also say I am not blue or feeling adrift as a whole.  It has helped that the boys were not my whole life. It's made a difference that I chose to make God first, Tom second and then the boys! It's how He designed it! I have not done life perfect, nor do I (we) claim to have it all together, we know hard times, we know......but one thing I am sure of is that because we chose to put God first and each other second, then the boys...even when it was hard, and even when we didn't agree on the "how's" of parenting, it has been a fairly easy transition, I say fairly because I am not without emotion!! But I am more excited than sad! God has given me so much to do! Placed ministries & hobbies that were not even a thought a hand full of years ago! Our God is a God of order, He has a perfect plan set in place all we have to do is....well do it! It doesn't mean life will be easy, or even pretty. But it does mean a life full of peace! I am thankful for that peace that passes all understanding right now! So Thankful for this new reality we are living!
K~