pieces and ponderings

11:15 a.m., on Friday, August 19, 2011.  There it is…in black and white.  I just printed it off the website and it lies in front of me on my desk.

Child number 2 told me yesterday afternoon.  She said that she is supposed to move into her dorm on Friday, August 19…only one month and one day away from today.  She looked up the schedule for the “Big Red Weekend,” the name of the  “welcome to our school weekend” for the college she will be attending in the fall…one month and one day from now.

7:30 a.m. begins new student move-in.

11:00 a.m. Orientation leaders and resident assistants: gathering of students

11:15 a.m. New student induction ceremony/parents’ goodbye

What was that last part…parents’ goodbye…Really…just like that?

12:00 noon  Lunch (Students Only)

What?  It’s like those in charge of this welcome event seem to think that there are some parents who might not leave when they are told to say goodbye to their students.  They seem to imply that some of us may try to sneak into the campus dining hall…REALLY!?  Not only do they tell us when we will be saying goodbye…but that they also need to inform us that we will NOT be dining with our students at lunchtime on that Friday…Lunch (Students Only).

I have one month and one day to adjust to the news.

A little while ago, I sat down in our family room with two of my boys.  Everyone else is scattered for the day.  We sat down to watch tv while munching on sandwiches.  I had a flashback…back to last spring…back to last fall…to the many days that I would wait for child number 2 to get home from class so we could eat lunch together while watching t-vo-d recordings of “What Not to Wear,” or “House.”

It hit me right in the middle of my turkey sandwich…she won’t be here this fall to eat lunch with her mom.  In one month and one day…at 11:15 a.m., I’m supposed to say goodbye and leave her there and head back home.  Wow…reality is beginning to sink in.

I’m thankful for this last year…this gift of extra time…to eat a few more lunches with child number 2… and store up many precious memories.