T Minus 10 Days and Counting

 People ask me if I am sad or nervous or sad about Jenna's upcoming wedding. I don't mean to sound heartless here, but I'm really not nervous or sad. I am happy for her and Nolan. The start of this school year has been busier and more stressful than most so I haven't had much of an opportunity to focus on the wedding. It has just been an event, albeit a big one, on my calendar and I haven't had a whole lot of time to think about it. And since Jenna is so organized most of the details have been taken care of in such a timely manner that neither Vicki nor I have been asked to do much. That is likely to change in the next ten days, but so far the date has been silently slipping up on me. Hopefully I won't find myself emotionally unprepared for the big day.

As I think about Jenna getting married I keep going back to one afternoon here at the house when Jenna was just a few months old, so it was the summer of 1998. Vicki was out for some reason. She never went far or was gone for too long because she was nursing, but babies scared me to death and I was nervous, terrified even, whenever she went out to run an errand and have some much needed alone time.

I remember having fun playing with Jenna but being very relieved when she finally got sleepy and went down for a nap. I came upstairs where our computer was at the time to do something but wound up sitting there at the desk contemplating fatherhood. Now I am not a little kid person (obviously, since I teach middle and high school) and the thought of having a little kid that I couldn't relate to at home for the next 10-12 years scared me to death. I am also not an athletic guy, I've never even enjoyed watching sports on TV much at all, so the thought of possibly going to practices and games in the years ahead was very discouraging. All of these thoughts and feelings were swirling around in my mind as Jenna slept and I wasn't in a good place. Then an idea that I feel came from God popped into my mind.

I am very careful about claiming that God has spoken to me, but in this case I believe he placed this thought in my mind to germinate and grow over the months and years to come and that thought was, "You're raising her to leave." It truly hit me with a jolt and I sat back in the chair to consider this new idea. Raising her to leave. All of a sudden I had the end in mind; a goal to aim for. This wasn't about me, but her. I need to enjoy the days ahead even if they aren't things I would pick to do because this is about my daughter, not me. Enjoy each phase because all too quickly that season will come to an end and Jenna will move on to something new. And I always keep it in the back of my mind that I'm raising her to leave, to go out into the world and be a child of the King, made in his image. It was my job to show her how to live in his likeness.

This idea has been in the back of my mind ever since. It has guided me as I've raised her and her brothers. Now Ben and Nate are both away at school. (So strange that the air conditioner upstairs that normally runs 365 days a year is now silent.) In ten days Jenna leaves. She will join Nolan in marriage and they will create their own family. She will be leaving the protection of my home and building her own with Nolan. And if God blesses them with children it will be their duty to raise them to leave. One of these days Ben and Nate will do the same thing.

So with the wedding in ten days I am humbly grateful to find myself where I am. She's ready. She's found a good man. And while she and Nolan will always be part of our family it is time for her to leave, and I'm good with that.

Hopefully nothing will happen in the next week and a half to derail the big event. If it does, we'll just deal with what we're presented with. If you cannot come to the wedding you can look Jenna up on Facebook. The ceremony will be live-streamed from her account.

Joe

Back to School!

 Where did the summer break go? It was so short! In-service begins tomorrow. We have open house Tuesday evening. Classes start Thursday. There is one thing I am excited about this year: I get to teach physics! I will miss our former chemistry/physics teacher, John Claxton, who retired in May. He was one of our best teachers and I am so glad Ben and Nate both took his classes. And I certainly have big shoes to fill in following him. But I finally get to teach the subject I got into education to teach after 27 years in my career.

Jenna is enjoying her job, though working 12 hour shifts is an adjustment. She made the happy observation the other evening that she didn't have to study for anything before going to bed. I know that feels good.

Nolan moved to the house they will be renting this weekend. He had been planning for some time to move out a month before the wedding to get settled in and the house set up like they want it ahead of time. The big day is just 34 days away.

Ben's stint at Lighthouse Camp is over. He returned home last weekend and has begun working with Nate at Marysville Marine. They will move to Cookeville, Ben to his house and Nate to a dorm room, in a couple of weeks. Nate and Vicki went to orientation at Tennessee Tech Thursday and Friday. They came home with information overload and, I think, a newfound reality that heading off to college is right here!

Ben enjoyed working at camp. From what he says it was exhausting, especially as he was the only adult counselor in a cabin of boys. His days started around 5:00 AM and lasted until lights out at 10:00 PM, later if there was a homesick camper. I think he may have a deeper appreciation for parents and teachers after this. He certainly saw a lot that he had never seen before growing up in our home. This camp ministers to many of the summer campers throughout the year with parties and weekend retreats and Ben says he plans to be part of that when he can. I can see a more seasoned young man in my son today than I saw two months ago. Vicki put it very aptly when she observed that Ben was a dad in training this summer. Looking back, I really wanted Ben to get into some sort of internship opportunity this summer, something to put on his resumé. Today I am glad he followed God's leading here.

That's about all there is from our house. Vicki is doing well and enjoys a girl's night out with a couple of high school friends every now and then. Fluffy still disappears for a few days at a time and comes in with stick-tights, those Velcro-like seeds, embedded in her fur to show for her adventures. And the red, feral, barn cat is brave enough to walk within three feet of me now. At least we haven't seen mice in years.

Joe