The Gunshow back in town!

I have gone once again from empty nest to very, very full - the way I LOVE it!

We have the privilege of housing 8 or so college students this weekend as The Gunshow prepares for their Saturday evening show at Berean Baptist Church.

You should all come down!!

Anyway, it's loud, very, very loud in my garage right now, but, the boys are back and having great fun! Wouldn't have it any other way!

Empty Nest

It happened today. Our son just left for college. Both previous years we took him and helped him move in. This year we decided to wait a couple days when we could spend a whole day on campus, instead of driving both ways in one day. We will make a run out to Indiana with all the things our son and daughter still need for their rooms next week. I'll post pictures from his room when we get there.

We met my mother-in-law for breakfast and then sent him on his way. I feel quite proud of his independence. He commented, "It might be kind of nice to have fewer people trying to help us move in all at one time." (I can take a hint).

I adore our kids, I am missing their noise and messes already. But the fact that they are strong, determined, creative, dependable and Godly eases the loss.

You pray your whole life for your kids to answer God's calling on their lives, both spiritually as well as vocationally. What you have to do to allow that calling to become their own is let them leave. Empty nest...I can't believe it has come so quickly.

What I learned today

I learned that leaving your youngest child at college is a mixed bag of emotions. I expected to be completely a mess, but her excitement was contagious.

Our colleague and friends, Mary Kay and Mark Pierce are also experiencing empty nest. Their experience dropping their final daughter off at Cedarville was incredible. Both from amazing programing created for parents of Freshman, as well as the entire Freshman student body arriving at the same time.

Our experience was different. Although IWU has a full weekend planned for the parents of Freshman, our daughter had to come early due to an editing position. So, we simply moved her in, hung out all day and headed home.

I think the lack of complete devastation is due in part to the fact that I know we get to come back on SundayMonday with our son. He attends the same college. It will be so exciting to see her again after she has been on her own for a week. She will have completed her Newspaper orientation and will be full of stories and information relating to her job. But most
I would guess, stories about her new friends. I cannot wait!

We have fully participated in our daughter's life. We have attended everything she has ever participated in, no small task, as well as filling our home with her friends. We have taught her the Word of God both verbally and hopefully by our lifestyle. We now release her to fulfill whatever God created her to accomplish. It will be one of the most exciting chapters of her life!