Baby Steps

My son, Jacob, my "baby" is graduating from college tomorrow. It's a weird feeling I have about all of this. His brother, my oldest son, Zack, graduated a year ago, and that felt pretty awesome. And while this feels joyous, and worthy of a celebration, it feels a little bit like the official book of childhood is closed. My "children" are officially not "children" any longer.

Oh, I know they have been grown-ups for a while now. I "get" that 23 and 24 are ages of adults. But this . . . this marker, it makes it official.

It feels like getting to the end of a book, closing the cover, breathing in a heavy sigh, rubbing the back of the book cover, and placing it on a shelf. Childhood is over. Gone are the toddling steps. Gone are the glances over the shoulder on the first day of school. Gone are nervous jitters as they pull out of the driveway for their first solo drive. Gone is childhood. And that feels a little final.

But the baby steps of adulthood are here. They are off to find jobs and the wives that God has set aside for them. Off they go to live their lives, free from the incumberances of parental boundaries.

All that to say, I should feel free, but I feel, well . . . I don't really know.