The Dreaded Day Arrives!

Last Friday, the day I have known was coming finally arrived. To be honest I had very mixed emotions about the day. One the one hand I was excited on the other I was not looking forward to it. I had been told for months what a hard day it would be. Many who have gone before me told me of their experience and warned me about what was coming. So I counted down the days until Friday August 15th arrived. The day we took Ryan to college.

We left the house about 7:30 A.M. and headed north on I35. We made our way through Gainesville, crossed the Red River into "foreign" country. We held our noses as we went through Norman, then through OK City and Edmond. We made the right turn onto Hwy 51 and pulled into Stillwater about 11:00 A.M. We drove straight to the SAE house, Ryan's home for at least the next three years of his college experience. It was much different than the last time we were there. Cars were everywhere and people were all over the front lawn. We quickly found Ryan's room and after I wrote my first check for college, making my wallet much lighter! we moved him into his room. He's in the newer part of the house in a room with three other guys. One from OK, one from Kansas and one from Southlake, Texas. His sister was not real happy about him living with someone from Southlake, but that's another story.

After lunch with the rest of the new students and their families, and a quick trip to Wal Mart to stock his mini-fridge, the most dreaded moment of the day arrived, it was time for Tami, Alyssa and me to leave. Ryan walked out to the parking lot with us, we hugged and said our goodbyes got into the car and drove off leaving him behind. I have to admit, I did much better than I thought I would, I felt a few tears coming but I managed to fight them off, knowing Alyssa would make fun of me. Tami did remarkably well too! A few tears and a little trouble saying those goodbyes but all in all we handled it well.

It's only been three days since we left him in Stillwater so it sort of seems like he is gone to camp right now. I imagine that come Friday of this week when he doesn't come home reality will probably sink in a little more. I do miss him already and I know I will continue to. But! I know that I left in Stillwater last Friday one of the finest young men on the face of this earth. A young man that loves the Lord, makes good decisions for an 18 year old, is confident in his abilities and knows where he is heading. I left a young man that has already made me proud and I know will continue to in the days to come. I left a young man that has been given a firm foundation of faith, right and wrong, and a sense of putting others before himself. I left a young man that I can't wait to see how he grows and matures and becomes the man of God he was created to be.

It was a dreaded day for me, a tough day but an exciting day none the less.

Now if we can just find somewhere for Alyssa to go!!!!!!