Miles From Our Home

(Pictures will be posted later tonight!)

Jon and I have only just now caught our breath and have begun to experience the silence in our home. It is so strange to have it so quiet without any of our sons being home. We came in Sunday night at around 7:00 PM and just stood in the kitchen for a moment, not saying anything. Jon finally said, “Very strange”. I didn’t want to break down in tears again, so I got busy fixing dinner. As I stood in the corner where I have prepared thousands of meals, I was so overcome with memories of the sound of the boys voices when they were little. There has been a lot of noise in our home for the past 20 plus years and this silence was ‘very strange’. I decided to dwell on the fact that all the time and effort we put in these years has finally paid off as we hoped it would. Our youngest son was following in the footsteps of his brothers and headed off to college! They are all healthy and are trying to make their way in this world and that has been our goal all along. Also, I decided to enjoy this quiet while it lasts…………….I’ve heard that they might just have to move back home once they are done with college and start looking for jobs!

Paul left Thursday and James and Michael left on Sunday. We also said goodbye to Jon’s 1998 Jeep. James drove it down to Florida because his girlfriend, Shannon, needed to buy a car and she now is the proud owner of the Jeep. Jon has always taken very good care of his vehicles, so she was really happy to get one that she could depend on. Jon has been thinking about getting a truck and so this worked out well for him also. He didn’t have to take the time to place and ad and then take the time to make appointments with potential buyers. We were glad we could help out someone we knew! As James drove out of the driveway, Jon and I prayed for him until the car was out of sight, then we turned around and immediately began helping Michael pack up his car. There was no time for me to cry about James leaving…………smile. We finished in about an hour and then followed Michael up to North Georgia. I no sooner turned out of our subdivision when the tears started to really flow. I could not believe we were taking Michael up to the same school that our son Jon went to his first year. It’s a private Christian college, Piedmont College. It felt so weird to retrace the path we had taken 7 years ago. First with our oldest and now with our youngest.

The college grounds have not changed and the bonus was that the men’s dorms didn’t smell as bad as when Jon went there. They are old as dirt, but they must have been painted and received new floors, because it smelled a lot more fresh this time around. We had to go to 3 different stores to get everything needed to get Michael completely set up. We wanted to avoid another trip up to the college the next weekend! It is about an hour and a half away, so it is far enough away for Michael to be on his own, but close enough for him to come home once a month to do his laundry.

We took lots of pictures so we could show Jon. He really enjoyed the 3 years he went to Piedmont and he was glad we had gotten pictures of the new organ in the church. It had been purchased while he was there but was not built in time for him to hear or see it. It is a mighty thing to see. Piedmont has a great music department, which Jon was very involved in. He changed his major from music to theology after transferring to Ave Maria.

Jon and Marie have kept in touch with us daily to let us know Paul is doing really well in Virginia. He spends his days with Jon and helps where he can. Last Saturday, Paul called and asked if I knew the names of famous gardens. I immediately thought of Callaway Gardens which are to the south of Atlanta. How famous they are, I don’t know, but they are beautiful. Paul said that they used that name for the theme of their dance for the Youth Group at church. They spent the day decorating and Jon said Paul had a great time and even danced. Unfortunately, there are no pictures of that event, so we will just have to take their word for it! Paul wasn’t able to stay much past 10 PM since the music was loud and the lights bothered him after so much time. But he hung in there a long time and he said he had a lot of fun. On Monday, I was talking to Paul and he said he had to go because he had to give a guitar lesson to someone! Jon had set it up for him and Paul was happy to do it. Marie told me that he has done the dishes for her and there was a lot of dishes too. Anyone who has had Jon and Marie cook in their homes knows that they use a lot of dishes because they do everything from scratch. Everything! It is very impressive to watch them work together and it is a real treat when they are finished.
I told Paul I was proud of him for helping Marie and he said it was not bad at all because they wash everything by hand and so he didn’t have to keep bending over to put things in a dishwasher. Bending over hurts his head. Secret’s out Paul – Jerry will be glad to fill up the sink with soapy water! Marie also said that Paul remembered she likes ice cream a lot, so he fixed a bowl and brought it to her as a surprise. He is really enjoying his time with them. Abby was confused at first and didn’t know which ‘master’ to sleep with, Jon or Paul. She did end up in Paul’s room. No secret there.

I have signed up for more hours of adoration because I know I am still ‘Miles from Our Home’ in heaven and I need God to direct me as I head into a new phase in life. I am sure He will let me know the way. It will be in the silence that I hear Him.

God bless you all as you listen in the silence.
Love,
Jon and Rebecca