Joel, our 21-year-old “baby” (last born) began graduate school at Western this
morning, and Stephen is leaving for graduate school at MSU tonight. Yikes! 
There’s something very traumatic about having your last born pack up his bags, 
dismantle his bed, and move out, lock, stock, and barrel! So, it was a pretty sad
day for us when Stephen and I helped Joel move all his earthly possessions out 
of their bedroom and onto a U-Haul headed for parts south! You know the 
feeling…it’s not like parents don’t want their kids to grow up. We do! We were 
thrilled when Joel got into graduate school and had lots of fun over the summer 
helping him find “just the right” stuff for his apartment. Still, together is always
happier than apart! Brian stopped by at the perfect moment with two fresh pies 
to cheer us up, fortify us for the trip down, and give us lots of energy for the big
job of carrying everything up 3 flights of stairs to Joel’s lovely new apartment.
Stephen and Joel have been pretty much inseparable companions, and Joel can’t
remember ever living in any other house, so this is going to be a big adjustment
for Joel too, although he’s a hard worker, a great cook, and has always been 
mature and steady, so I think he’s well prepared to face the challenges ahead.
Saturday night we had a last supper together and celebrated Joel’s having 
completed the novel he’s been working on for the past 15 months, and Sunday
Joel left for real while I waved sadly goodbye until he was out of sight. I hope you
appreciate every day you have with your kids, and I hope pray for them every day
of your life, because even when they’re grown and gone, they will never stop needing your love and your prayers.
“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6)
I imagine that having your last child leave is about as life-changing as having your first child born. It’s the beginning of a whole new phase. I look forward to seeing what God has planned for your next chapter.
Thank you, Andrea! I think it’s doubtless as profound…but not nearly as tiring. It also helps that Dan and Brianna are back and Stephen and Joel are close enough to come home and visit! I think I’d be really disconsolate if nobody lived close by. God is so merciful!
So cute! And yes, it is a big life-changing event for you guys!