Friday, February 02, 2007

A Few Feathers, Some Broken Eggshells

Well, it's official - my nest is empty.

My youngest son has moved into an apartment with three of his friends, and the house already seems so... well, empty.

I went into his room yesterday after he left and sat on the bed. Much of his stuff is still there, of course - the posters are still on the wall, the sports trophies are still on the shelf, the prized collection of glass animals that he's been gathering since he was a little boy (he's an animal lover and a Biology major) are in their case. I think those made me the saddest of all; young men don't play with little glass animal figurines, now do they? His priorities have shifted to bigger things (as well they should), like his friends and his grades and his social life and his future.

I helped him load a few boxes into his car yesterday, washed and folded his new sheets, bought him new pillows and a lamp, and generally kept a cheerful, upbeat attitude about the whole thing. But the whole time I was thinking, "It's the end of his childhood. I'll go to bed at night without knowing he's safe in his room, and when I wake up in the morning he won't be there. He won't be there ever again, not in the way it was before." And so, yes, I shed a few tears, alone there in his room, and I'll probably shed a few more.

I know it'll be okay. I know it's part of the pattern of life: we give birth to our children, but we don't own them. We spend the next eighteen years or so trying to give them wings to fly, but oh, how it hurts when the winds of change start blowing. Despite my feelings of sadness, I hope an updraft catches him and bears him aloft to where he can see the world laid out before him like a treasure trove. And I hope he chooses his treasures wisely, and handles them with care, just like he did those little glass animals.

They, along with his father and I, will still be here whenever he wants to visit.

6 comments:

Anna Sugden said...

Big hugs Mama Terri. But rest assured that with such wonderful parents as you and Captain America, your boy will find his way in the world and be happy. (And come home with the laundry!)

Michele said...

Aww, Terri, hugs. I teared up reading this post. You and Captain America are great parents.

All the best,

Michele

Janice Lynn said...

Terri!! You made me water up on this post. My oldest is 15 & I don't even want to think about an empty nest. Mine is currently quite crowded & I think I like it that way.

So, what I really want to know is if Captain America is going to have a "Naked Room" like Terry Bradshaw did on FAILURE TO LAUNCH. ;)

Terri Garey said...

Thanks for the hugs Anna and Michele, and trust Janice to go right to the 'naked' talk. :)

One of my sisters tried to cheer me up by saying 'Now you can have s*x in every room!' And yes, I'm sure the same idea has already occurred to Captain America. :)

Thanks for the support, guys.

Anonymous said...

I don't think I would have sex in ANY room with someone who is called Captain America!!!!

Terri Garey said...

That's because you haven't seen Captain America naked, Anonymous. :)

My husband was a Captain in the Marine Corps - you don't get more 'Captain America' than that!