I have a son who is a college graduate. I am mighty proud of that fact... let's just sit on that a bit. The title of this blog doesn't really speak to that, but I'll get to it. Let me back up four or so years to August of 2008. This was when we took Tyler off to school. I remember this "long drive" oh so very well. We loaded up in our Honda Pilot and a Thule on top and got all of his stuff plus the two parents and Tyler in there. I chose the back seat. We left Salem, OR for Spokane, WA. A 6 hour trek. We took off and things were fairly normal.
Let's back up a bit... I'd been anticipating Tyler leaving for a while and had had a few minor meltdowns. My first little chick leaving my nest. I was a sad mama. I was very happy for where he was headed. Whitworth seemed like a good fit, but I was still a bit... sad.
We headed North and East. I was doing fine and then we hit the Tri-Cities, which is where Grandma and Grandpa Dudley live. Now, we had lived in Spokane when Ty was a baby up until he was 7. We'd travelled to the Tri Cities many, many times during that time frame. So, when we hit that stretch of road... all these old memories started hitting me of us driving that route when Tyler was a baby/toddler/young boy. My mind just went back there and I was quite weepy. I was glad to be in the backseat... I don't think Bruce or Ty noticed, but I was crying a good bit of that last 2 hours.
We got to Spokane, stayed in our hotel which was right by Riverfront park. The night before "dorm move-in day" Tyler stayed with us, we took a walk through the park and his comment when we saw the giant Radio Flyer Wagon slide... "Wow, I always thought this was much bigger." Well, Tyler, you were much littler when you last saw it. We moved him in the next day, we met his teammates and his coach. It all seems quite surreal to me now, but as I look back... what a monumental day... the day he met his amazing TEAM mates and Toby, the best coach ever!
I was doing great, lots of busyness to attend to. Met his roommate, got him moved in. A nice little dorm room. I think we took him to dinner and then we were to drop him off at the "XC house" for a TEAM building movie night or something... last time to see him - moment of Mommy horribleness. I still remember that moment like it was yesterday... I got out of the car, I hugged him and said "Do good." Wow, really powerful stuff... I was maybe a foreshadow of the movie "The Help"... You is good... Really?@#!? Do good? Oh well, it was done. And then I proceeded to bawl the whole way down Division St. in Spokane... any Spokanites reading this... you can appreciate how long that is... we stayed in a hotel by the convention center... WAY the heck down there!
Ok, now onto the other part of the "Long Drive" that this blog speaks of. We just spent this past weekend celebrating Tyler's graduation from Whitworth. What an amazing weekend. I loved every bit of it. I love where my son spent the last 4 years. I love the friends he made. I had the best time celebrating this event this past weekend. I did, however, have a "long drive" home. Trent, our second born boy is now a sophomore at Whitworth and we needed to move him home plus bring some of Tyler's stuff, thus the need of two vehicles. This is where the other "long drive" comes into effect. I had to drive the trek. We set out Monday morning and I had my mocha and was quite fine driving along, but had this immediate thought. I was driving this reverse route of 4 years ago and not feeling the least bit weepy or sad. I had this feeling of... contentment. I'd just spent this weekend of hearing about Tyler's accomplishments. Witnessing his amazing friendships. Hearing the testimonies of other Whitworth grads and knowing what a fine institution Ty graduated from. I just felt like God was telling me that everything was just the way He intended it to be. Tyler doesn't have a job yet, but I know he will get one. I'm not worried in the least. My "long drive" was quite pleasant. Thank you God for where you directed Tyler and for what You have planned for him, I cannot wait to see.
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