Bye-bye Baby

OK ... OK ... OK. For all of you who have messaged me asking about my son Matt's move to Canada, this post should answer all of your questions. But one thing first ... it's only been a little over a week since I said goodbye to my son, and yes, my heart is still pretty raw and filled with emotion about my boy being so far away. Now, on to the details that many of you have requested.

Matt left on Friday, June 29 in his Toyota Prius ... yes, he drove a Prius all the way to Edmonton, Canada, which is, I was told tonight, so far north that the town sits at the end of the highway. Matt, his and Becca's two wiener dogs Andy and Chloe, and Becca's dad drove for three days ... in a Prius. I'm very glad that Becca's father went along with Matt to help with the driving (and the wild wiener dogs) ... if there's one thing all of us in our family knows, it's that Matt isn't and never has been a great driver. Becca has helped him greatly in that department, but all of us were thrilled to know that he wouldn't be making the drive to Edmonton alone. They arrived safely a week ago today, and Matt began his job on Tuesday morning. The university is treating him like a king, and he's settling in and beginning the research part of his job and will start teaching his first class of 120 students in September. I've gotten to talk to him a few times, and it's good to hear the excitement in his voice as he tells me all about the places he is seeing and the things he is doing.

As to why Matt drove to Canada ... the university is paying for everything regarding their move, which is a true blessing for a young married couple with a new baby (I'm pretty certain that moving to Canada must be pretty expensive), and would have paid for their car to be shipped along with their furniture. And that's what Matt and Becca planned to do ... until they found out that it would take 30 days for the car to arrive. They were also told the day the movers came to pack their things that everything was going to a warehouse where it would remain until tomorrow when a driver comes to pick it up. And tomorrow is when they will know how long it will be until their possessions get to Canada ... could be 5 days, could be 21 days. So Matt has been living for the last week in the house they are renting with an air mattress, a few borrowed pots and pans, and the wiener dogs. He packed as many of his clothes that he would need for work into the Prius, along with some things for Becca and C.J. in case their belongings don't arrive for a while. Becca and C.J. have spent the last week with her parents, and they are flying to their new home on Thursday. Due to the differences in health care coverage between the two countries, it's too risky for the two of them to wait any longer to move since they no longer have health insurance in the U.S. Becca's mother is flying with her and plans to stay a week or so in hopes that the movers will arrive and she'll be able to help Matt and Becca unpack and settle in to their new home.

This evening, I had dinner at Becca's folks' house and then we all went for a nice long walk, enjoying the cooler temperatures that a small cold front delivered late in the day. I couldn't help but think as C.J. rode in her stroller that in all probability she'll be walking on her own by the time I see her again ... walking and talking and sporting new teeth ... I sure will miss that little girl, friends ... I sure will miss her. But for tonight ... for tonight, she laughed and laughed as I tickled her tummy ... she nuzzled her head in my neck as she rubbed her sleepy eyes ... she slept as I kissed her cheeks and told her goodbye ... and even though my mind knows that she's too young to remember what I whispered in her ear, my heart wishes that she could.

A little over a week ago, I bid farewell to my son, and tonight, I did the same with my daughter-in-law and granddaughter. I told someone at work last week ... these are the things of life that you never think about when your children are babies waking you up several times each night or little kids tracking mud into the house or teenagers blasting music that shakes the walls or graduating seniors heading off to college or young adults walking down the aisle on their wedding day or expectant parents telling you they are going to have a baby of their own ... you never think about them becoming doctors or filmmakers or pastor's wives and moving far away from home ... at least I didn't ever think about that anyway.

When I walked into my house tonight, I was struck by the silence of it ... my only companions now are furry ones, and they were sound asleep ... the silence of my home seemed ... well, it seemed so much more silent tonight. The last couple of weeks have been emotionally draining ... there's no sense in even trying to pretend they haven't been the toughest couple of weeks of my life. But as I was making the 30-mile drive home from Becca's parents' house, I couldn't help but recognize the huge lesson I've learned over the last two weeks. Not one of us is guaranteed another day in this life ... we aren't even guaranteed our next breath. We should treasure every single moment we have with the people we love ... we should make sure those people know that we love them. We should always carve out time ... time to talk, time to listen, time to care, time to laugh, time to cry ... time to love. We shouldn't allow the tyranny of the urgent keep us from what matters most ... carving out time for relationships with those precious family members and friends whom God has graciously placed in our lives.

So that's the story ... tomorrow, tell someone you love that you love them ... tomorrow, put your arms around someone you love and give them a hug ... tomorrow, cry with someone you love whose heart is burdened. Sleep well, friends ... sleep well.