Big Surprise on a Quiet Saturday

(8/29) My son and husband spent a good part of yesterday packing. My son is ready, though nervous. Surprisingly, I found that my husband is not. Although he shares some of the same concerns as I do, my husband is much more emotional at the imminent departure of our first-born, who is -- for all practical purposes -- off to a life of his own.

My son also expressed last night that he was sad about leaving his home town and his current circle of friends. I reminded him that his high school friends will be there as long as he chooses to keep in contact with them, through FaceBook, email, whatever means. But he will be making college friends on a different level. I did not remind him that it will be up to him to nurture those relationships, to hold up his end of the conversations, to insert himself into discussions and come in from the edge.

I think weekend entries will be shorter; less focused on any learning disability, more about the people in the story and how they are coping. At some point, I will provide some introductions.

As the rest of the family sleeps, I'm sipping coffee and contemplating whether this blog will serve the purpose I hope it will. For now it remains unread.