Letting go...

On June 29th my friend Patti and I drove our son's to Albright College for 2 days of rehearsals before their trip to Europe.

Maybe I should back up and give a little background. In October of 2007 Andrew's band director selected several students to participate in the American Music Abroad Honors band. This was an opportunity of a life time. Not only had he been selected for the band but he would be able to explore a whole other world.

Andrew and his best friend Matt decided to take this opportunity to spend 18 days touring France, Germany, Austria, Belgium and Luxembourg. They would perform 8 concerts including one on July 4th at Omaha Beach - how cool is that!

They saw the Eiffel Tower, the Palace of Versailles, and Dachau. They took a gondola ride to a glacier in Rattenberg, had a dance party in Westendorf, and had a day at Europark in Strasbourg. They took guided tours at each new city and had time to explore on their own.

I am not sure what kind of em0tions my son went through but I certainly went through many. I was excited, nervous, scared and proud.

The thing that took me totally by surprise was how much I was affected by his leaving. I knew it would be hard to send him off, but I wasn't ready for over a week of tears every time someone asked me about him. My heart ached and in some way felt empty. Someone asked me if this was so hard what is going to happen when he goes off to college. I am not sure but maybe I should by stock in Kimberly Clarke.

I started thinking about how God feels when he watches his children leave his arms. Does he cry, does his heart ache and feel empty? Does he run after or wait patiently for us to return? The parable of the lost son best answers that - even though the son left, the father welcomed him with open arms. God's love is patient, and He is waiting for us with open arms.