Twenty years old.
To think that the kids are now the same age that I was when I met their father ... it is truly shocking. Was I really that young when I met the man that I would ultimately wind up marrying - having four children with - moving seven times all across the country with - complaining about body aches and increasing fiber content in our diet with .... and now be actively contemplating retirement with?
Fact is, it's entirely possible that those people our children might date now, very well could be THE ONE that they wind up spending the rest of their lives with.
(Yes, I think of that often.)
This process of growing up is so gradual that it all kind of blends. But as I reflect, I can see clear chapters beginning and ending. Obviously, their birth ... Chapter 1. Spending six weeks in the NICU. Coming home from the hospital and being on apnea monitors and requiring feedings that felt like round-the-clock. But gradually that transitioned to them sleeping through the night and eating solid foods.
Crawling. Walking. Running. Talking. Potty training. Chapters 2, 3..... 9.
Preschool. Kindergarten. Taking the bus. Being out of my sight for more than an hour a day. Packing a lunch and eating it in a cafeteria with other kids. Playdates. Sports Teams. Forming relationships with people that I don't know and might not ever meet. More chapters.
Driving. Applying for and receiving their first job. Work schedules. School schedules. Homecoming. PSATs. College visits. SATs. College applications. PROM. Graduation. Life after high school....... moving in to the dorms, traveling around Europe for a year. More and more and more chapters. Some chapters I cannot even write anymore except in the context of sharing what their lives look like from my perspective, often received via text message.
After taking a gap year through the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange in Germany, William is in his freshman year at the University of Vermont and is having the time of his life.
He is thrilled to be back in Vermont, living on campus, and meeting everyone. He loves his classes and is particularly interested in environmental science and agro-ecology. No surprise there as he spent the better part of a year working as lumberjack in Germany and has asked for a plot of garden next summer so he can test the quality of soil on vegetable growth. In his free time, he likes to wake up before the dawn, drive to the mountains with groups of friends, and hike tall peaks in time to catch the sunrise. The photo above was him with a group of kids from his dorm a few weeks ago atop Camel's Hump, and the photo below, was him last week atop Mt. Mansfield, the highest point in Vermont.
Elizabeth is in her sophomore year at the University of Vermont and is also having the time of her life.
She lives on campus in a dorm that is a stone throw from the gym, where she spends the majority of her time training with the Track & Field team. Or, with physical trainers who are helping her with a bum knee that she informed me, today, will be undergoing surgery in November. After having changed her major four times: environmental science to business ... to marketing ... to education ... she has decided that she really loves art. She's always loved art and is now pursuing a degree in art education and hopes to one day earn her PhD in studio art so she can teach (and coach) at the university level. She alerted me that her graduate education will likely happen somewhere in Europe. Maybe Greece or Italy. TBD. Such fun stuff to contemplate when you're 20! She has a boyfriend. But from what I understand, she doesn't like him as much as bunny. Yet. (Fingers crossed it stays that way.)
Carolyn is in her sophomore year at the University of Vermont and is also (also) having the time of her life. Although she isn't the social butterfly that her brother and sister are, she has made a lot of friends across campus through ROTC and rowing.
Nonetheless, she's more than happy to come home every single weekend and sleep in her own bed, eat home cooked food, and hang out with Mom, Dad, Henry and Ollie. I absolutely love having her at home with us - so no complaints there. Okay, there may be slight complaints when she ambushes my closet. She is studying political science with the intent of attending law school. This coming Friday, she will be swearing into the Army National Guard where she hopes to one day work with the Judge Advocate General. I'm a mixed bag of nerves: proud, scared, impressed, apprehensive ... the state of the world is so crazy right now, the thought of MY BABY potentially being put in harm's way is terrifying. This morning, she sent me this picture of a sunrise drill with her cadre and I zoomed in closely to look at the faces while praying that they ALL remain safe.
While I couldn't decipher Carolyn in the mob of cadets, I did happen to spot a face that looked familiar in the far back left corner. It couldn't possibly be .....? I sent Carolyn a note asking who that tall blonde kid was in the back and she sent me this zoomed in photo with a circle and these two words:
Will. Me.
MY OTHER BABY.
And then, I suddenly felt a little better. Safety in numbers?
Twenty years in, and I get teary thinking about what an incredible privilege it has been to be a part of their lives and have front row seats to this awesome adventure. We are so very grateful for all of it.
As our precious children continue their trajectories into adulthood, I'm full of so much optimism - hope - faith - that they will continue to thrive in these next chapters of life that have yet to be written.
Lord, please (please, please, please) hear my prayer.
