For such a long time, we had all three of our children living with us under our roof. Since last July, it’s been down to two of our children living under our roof with our youngest son Grant going off to work at a job for a year.
As of this morning, it’s down to one child living under our roof for the next four months. Our oldest, our son Curtis — the honors college student, the 4.0 GPA dean’s list economics major — is flying off to Washington, D.C., for some internship work in our nation’s capital city.
His last Christmas experiences before heading out for this new adventure in life included getting a gift card for a men’s fine clothing store for suits — two for the price of one — and being custom-fitted for the first time in his life. His father wanted to go along for the ride for that experience.
It provided some father-son bonding time the night after Christmas, capped off by a trip to his favorite book store to pick up a traveler’s guide to D.C., and sharing a cup of coffee in one of his favorite spots.
Until now, the longest Curtis has been away from home has been two weeks spent at a high school debate clinic in southern Utah, which also involved his first plane ride. This trip will involve his first cross-country journey, his first experience navigating a major airport on his own as he switches planes, his first time spent making his way to an apartment building that he’ll call home for the next four and a half months, the first time he’s been away from his real home for an extended period of time, his first experience working for a prestigious firm.
There are so many new life experiences in store for him, and for his parents while he’s away. He’s coming back, but he’ll be missed while he’s gone.
Curtis has been anxious for a time in his life like this — a time when he can break away a bit more on his own. It’s a time to feel excited, and a time to feel a bit nervous. Huge changes in life bring on those feelings naturally. New adventures in life always seem so daunting.
For Curtis, it’s a big step on the road to absolute manhood. It’ll look pretty nice on a resume too, being among those chosen to work as an intern in D.C. It makes us all proud. He’s worked hard enough for it.
He’s had his last home-cooked meal for the next few months — a “Jucy Lucy” prepared by his father. He’s been able to tease his “little” sister before heading out. He’s spent extra time loving up his favorite cats. He’s gotten tight hugs and emotional looks from his mother. We’ve packed and squeezed and re-packed everything he should need for a few months into two bags that just about seem ready to burst at the seams.
Now, I’ve got a blog article out there on the web waiting for him to read when he gets settled into his new temporary digs. It should tell him everything he needs to remember while he’s away: he is loved, he will be missed, we are so very proud of him, we wish him the best, and we will be looking forward to seeing him again in May.
The adventure has begun. Long live life!
A View From The Middle (Class) 
Good luck to Curtis, and to his parents who will miss him very much.
A great tribute and and exciting adventure begins. You can feel the proud in your words….