Today I watched my ADD, LD son go through airport security to begin a mission trip that will end about 20 countries from now. If that’s not enough to keep an easily bored guy’s attention, I don’t know what is. In case you missed the news cast, he finished school ForEver, so you can bet TSA’s scans found NO BOOKS in his backpack. If he has anything to say about it, he will never sit in a school desk again. Never, no way, not ever.

Let’s just say, and I am just theorizing here, the amount of fun we have in one chapter of life determines how deeply we mourn its closing. If so, we’re in ecstasy! I’ll never forget tucking our son in bed, years ago, before the 1^st day of a new school year. It’s a huge understatement to say he did NOT want to start another term…so leaning over the edge of the top bunk, he reasoned (desperately, hopefully), “If Jesus is going to come back anyway, tomorrow would be the day to do it!”

Hard to conjure up a tear or two saying goodbye to something you dread that much.

In lieu of cap, gown, ceremony, etc… (and this was totally appropriate) my husband bought a ton of fireworks to celebrate his son’s Scholastic Independence Day. By the time we were done, the whole neighborhood knew our son had finished school. Magna cum loudly.  (Only time constraints kept us from driving across the border to buy bigger fireworks.) BTW, I highly HIGHLY recommend this method of “commencement exercises” to all you moms out there with those kinesthetic boys. (It’s a great way to celebrate deliverance!)  And I tell you the truth, when those fireworks went off, his face glowed just like he was five, all 23 years of him.

AND being the grown man he is (which means he may be in our line of sight, but definitely NOT under our “control”) he jumped over and through the fireworks (in a safe sort of way), picking particular ones up, throwing them in the air to create a beautiful twirled effect. (Don’t try this at home, I want to say to ANYone reading this) … and I’m thinking, “well, if he gets his hand blown off right before his trip, he gets his hand blown off!” His life, on his terms – his choices, his consequences. You gotta love this young adult phase.

Looking backwards from here (yes, I’m very nostalgic at the moment) things make a lot more sense. He and his other buddies have always been the build-em, blow-em-up, set-em-on-fire kind. (I know, you’re thinking “where were the parents??”) But when all is said and done (not that their lives are over yet), one buddy is a skydiving paramedic, another is a lieutenant in our city’s fire department, getting his masters in emergency management, a 3^rd one declined a slot at the Air Force, and another works with the Middle East. I know it’s overplaying my role (because these boys did have parents), but I can’t help feel I made a significant contribution to the emergency response capability of our city, perhaps even our country, given how many of their pyromaniac stunts I had to somehow “manage,” corral, divert, ….

But I digress. True to form, no moss has grown under our son’s newly graduated feet. Only four days from end of classes to American Airlines take off. (3 days longer than his usual time interval between major life events.) He was efficient and experienced as he fit essentials in his backpack – passport, visas, etc…. God has trained him to keep track of those “details” (his words). He was born for this arena – not school. In this setting, he’s super challenged – not super struggling. There’s a difference. I love it!

My son had the last laugh today, because UN-like his mama (when she travels), his bags both came in WAY under the 50 lb limit… multiple countries, and he can do it in under 50 lbs?? I can’t hardly get under 52 lbs going to another state. Touche’ my son – no BOOKS make lighter travel.

“I will never desert you; nor will I ever forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5

In the original Greek there are 5 negatives so the passage reads as…

“I will never, no, desert you; nor will I not ever, no, forsake you.”

It is true. During 16 years of school with LD and ADD, Jesus promised to never desert us. He didn’t. He won’t.

Not forsaken, no, not ever,

Joan