Leaving the Nest

My son, Drew, and I have a very close relationship. I was a single mom with no support from Drew's biological father for 6 years before Rei came into our life. The bond between the two of us is very strong. We have very similar likes and dislikes and our sense of humor is totally whacky.

I tell you all of this to give you an idea of how much I'm going to miss Drew. While he is 21 and we were disappointed in the circumstances that led to having him move back home a couple of months ago, he has worked hard to turn things around and better himself. Unfortunately, I have gotten used to him being around again. 

So now, we are ALL leaving the nest. Drew has to leave the nest and go live on his own. Rei and I have to leave the comfort of the nest we have built over the last 12 years and travel 2500 miles to parts unknown. Needless to say, we are all on edge trying to wrap our brains and hearts around this massive move that will be happening in the next couple of months.

Saturday, after an extremely busy week (I ran our Vacation Bible School program), we went house shopping for Drew. Let me just say that I am so happy we are taking this route of buying a place for him and then he will pay us rent. This gives me a peace of mind I didn't think was possible within our preparations for our move. My big fear was leaving Drew behind and him struggling to keep good housing. I'm not sure I would have been able to function normally if I knew Drew was bouncing from apartment to apartment or moving from one living situation to another.

Now, I have to share that I am married to one of the most thrifty people in the whole world. When I heard what he was willing to spend on a place for Drew, I was convinced we would never find something decent. However, our friend and realtor, Carolyn, found a way for us to spend what Rei wanted to spend and still get a beautiful place. She showed us a bunch of townhouses. We hadn't even thought of townhouses! This was a perfect marriage of Rei's thriftiness with my desire for a nice place in a nice neighborhood.

We saw so many places on Saturday that it was hard to make a decision. The last place Carolyn showed us just seemed like it was going to be one more townhouse. But it wasn't. The minute we pulled into this neighborhood, you see the playground, the community pool and all of the green areas for kids to play. Then we pull up to the townhouse and we know that this is the one. Outside is perfect and inside looks amazing. All three of us could picture little David playing here and growing up in this neighborhood. After viewing the house, we drove around the neighborhood and saw lots of young families. We knew this place was the one!!

We are still waiting to hear from the bank on whether they accept our offer; however, I have great peace of mind in knowing we will find a place for Drew. I thank God that he has provided the blessing of resources for us to afford buying a great place for Drew. I thank God that Drew is at the point in his life, with a good paying job, to take on this responsibility of leaving the nest and taking care of a new place. I thank God for providing me with a husband who honestly loves his son and wants to take care of him. So many things to be done before we move and this was a big one. I'm thankful I can check this one off of my list.

Living Day to Day by His Grace,

Jennifer

Dear God,

I thank You for Your provision, for giving me so much. My gratefulness knows no bounds. It is overwhelming to me how much You love me and take care of me.

I give You thanks for our child, Drew, and for giving him the gifts and talents he has to survive in a grown up world. Watch over him, dear Lord, and protect him from himself and the pitfalls around him.

I give You thanks for providing the resources to us to help us buy a place for our son to live in. We would not be where we are today without the blessings you continue to provide. Thank You for giving us such a great friend in Carolyn who so willingly gives of her time and her own resources to help us and others.

And thank You, Lord, for giving me peace of mind with this step of our move. This is one more reminder that we are following Your will in making this move. 

In Jesus' Name I pray. 

Amen.

Little David

So yesterday I spent the day with Rei and my grandson, David. That little peanut is such a light in our lives! Just thinking about him brings a smile to my face.

Anyway, we went to Seaworld for a few hours (annual passes are such a blessing). What a joy it is to spend time with a two-year old because everything is totally awesome when you are two! His big obsession right now is polar bears. Of course, we had to spoil him with a polar bear stuffed animal!

As we progressed through the afternoon, David wanted to go to the Shamu show. I forgot that they do the "Salute to the Heroes," where they acknowledge all active and retired military personnel and their families. So when they asked all of us to stand up and be recognized, I was taken by surprise and started getting teary-eyed.

And then the waterworks started...I began to think about all that I will be leaving behind, especially my little David. Right about then David started to get tired and clingy and I struggled to keep my composure in the crowded stadium. As the show progressed and the music picked up, I was able to focus on just enjoying the moment.

So I'm wondering how I can stay connected to my son and grandson without feeling like I am missing something. This shouldn't be a hard one for me to figure out. I know firsthand how Rei and I kept in touch while he was deployed in Afghanistan. I also have the tools to make videos and recordings to send to Drew and David. But it's just not the same...

So my prayer today is for God to grant me the strength to bear the pain of separation from my dearest loved ones. May I always feel His presence while we journey through these challenges.

Living Day to Day by His Grace,

Jennifer

Dear God,

It's so hard for me to leave behind my loved ones, especially the ones that I have never lived very far from. Grant me today the strength and confidence in You that will allow me to let go gracefully and rest assured that You are in control of my life and their lives.

Father, I also pray today for David and for his parents. I pray, first of all, for reconciliation between Drew and Katie, that their relationship may be repaired. If this is not in Your will, I pray that they will always remember to put David first when dealing with each other. Give them the grace to be humble and patient with one another and to remember what brought them together in the first place.

And finally, watch over David, dear Lord. Help him to grow up to be the wonderful young man we know he is going to be. Also, help him to remember that all of his grandparents love him so much, no matter where they are.

In Jesus' Name I pray. 

Amen.