This old house

This house is full of sounds. Every door has its own special creak. And don’t get me started on some of the floors! When the boys were younger I thought that this was perfect – no sneaking around without us knowing. If their bedroom door opened, I knew it, even in my sleep.

After years of practice, I know how to get around most of these sounds (and so, probably do the boys), so when I woke up early in the morning I made an effort to be quiet on my visit down the hall for a call of nature. But for a moment … for a moment I was surprised at Sean’s open door. Even in the dark and without my glasses I could see that he wasn’t in his room, he wasn’t in his bed. Then I remembered that he was spending the night at his friend’s house.

None of this changed the sudden feeling in my heart – a feeling of exhilaration, of worry, of change. This will soon be a regular scene. Last night we got to talk again to Stephan as he is starting his fourth year at Harding. And Sean is not yet gone to his study in Brussels, but it won’t be long. He’ll be home on the weekends, but there will be less creaking around the house.

Exciting – we are so thrilled for the things the guys are learning, the people they are meeting and the opportunities in their lives. Change is different. We have to adapt. Things will not be the same. But they will be good – of that I am sure.  Exhilarating, a bit scary, but full of expectation.