What will I do?

This weekend I went back to the small West Texas town that I once called home. I didn’t grow up there but I lived there for five very formative years. Echotig and I were married there. My parents and Grandparents are there. I went there to see my new great nephew and spend time with the people I love the most.

The town is small so your family is usually a little bigger than just your family. You have to include some of your neighbors. Therefore Sunday morning I spent a little time with some extended family.

Among these is a couple that I love and respect more than I can say. She would kill me if I put her name on the internet. So, lets call them Phil and Karen. I respect them for their marriage, their character and the way they raise their children. I love them because of the way they treated and helped me.

Karen and I had a brief conversation that doesn’t seem all that profound. But, it is. The youngest of their three children is a high school senior. So of course I asked if she was counting the days with glee. She shocked me. She doesn’t want the empty nest. She is not looking forward it at all.

So, why is this profound? It makes me wonder if what I will think when my youngest is ready to leave. I look forward to my children being adults. I’m confident they will all make me very proud. I want to finally have some alone time with my wife. But how will it be when it happens? Will I get all sentimental? Will my mind completely change?

We raise our children to be the best adults they can be. But that’s just a game plan. We work to make them independent. But does emotion take over near the end?

The thing that surprises me is that Karen was this way. She is one of the most together people I know. If she can feel this way, I might.

So I guess I’ll keep on getting them ready for the cold cruel world. And, I’ll walk across that other bridge when I get there.