Holding On
'The best thing to hold onto in life is each other.' Audrey Hepburn
Today is our oldest son’s 24th birthday. It is hard for me to believe how much time has elapsed since he blessed this planet. As I wrote in a previous blog, he has temporarily moved home for the summer while he waits for housing to open up near the University he attends.I was expecting a crazy summer of transition for our family. His sister was moving away, he was moving home…. There were all kinds of tweaks happening to our known dynamic. If I was worried about how things were going to shake out, I needn’t have been. The adjustment to having him ‘in-house’ has been one of joy- Ajay has enjoyed a built in playmate in his brother, Sutter has enjoyed the luxury of having a meal waiting for him at our table when he gets off work, and my husband has enjoyed an extra set of hands around to help with the man chores…. And this Momma? Well she has enjoyed every moment surrounded by her boys… and has found that her daughter who is ‘far away’, has never been closer in all the ways that matter.As our older children move in and out and about the family system, this summer of transition has reminded me of what a perfect little eco-system the universe provides- replete with a semi-permeable membrane that makes comings and goings easy and gentle. As I write this I am laughing at the ‘eco-system’ visual that just came into my mind…. It was of Ajay’s 8-year-old self getting a running start and ramming up against the same semi-permeable membrane he watches his big brother and sister traverse seamlessly. He is still in the phase of life where he can’t make it through to that outer world- for now he has to stay within the eco-system he was born into… He will get his semi -permeable status later but for now he is stuck… much like a goldfish in a bowl…. A well-loved and mighty wild little gold fish I might add.Happy 24th birthday Sutter. As you continue to create your very own eco-system, we are blessed by the times you still pass in and out of ours.