When my son Matt called to tell me he had accepted a teaching position at the University of Alberta, I managed to hold it together until I got off the phone. I remember that phone call like it was yesterday ... it's hard to believe that Matt and his little family have lived in Canada for three years. I remember what I did as soon as I got off the phone with Matt that evening ... I climbed into my bed, pulled the covers over my head and cried until I couldn't cry anymore. While I was so proud of Matt for landing such a sought-after position, I was absolutely terrified that I would never be able to have a close relationship with my granddaughter Coraline. That's the perfect example of just one more time in my life when I was wrong ... if you've been reading along with me, you know that sweet little Boo and I are buddies for life. And guess what? My second granddaughter Amelie knows me, too ... the minute she sees me on Skype, she starts smiling and heading for the computer.
A couple of weeks ago when my son Brad called to tell me he was moving to Maine for two months to work on a project for Discovery Channel, I did the same thing I did when Matt called to tell me they were moving to Canada ... I held it together until I got off the phone, and then I bawled my eyes out. Even though my mind knows it's a temporary move for Brad and a really great opportunity for him career-wise, my heart wants him not to be so far away. And I must say that it scared the living daylights out of me when he told me he was planning to drive the new used Honda Civic he bought last week all the way to Maine, especially since just a month or so ago he was in a serious accident that totaled his Jeep. Brad headed out for Maine on Sunday, and I can't tell you what a relief it was to answer the phone on Monday evening and hear his sweet voice say, "I'm in Maine, Mom!"
Last night I mentioned an amazing young man I've been blessed to work with for the last 2 1/2 years, and the emotional conversation we had before he left yesterday. My young friend didn't leave our agency to go to work somewhere else ... on Friday, he'll hop into his recently purchased Chevy van to begin the first leg of a two-month journey around the country. Yep, my friend Kyle is hitting the road for what I am certain will prove to be one of the greatest adventures of his life. He's following a route originally mapped out by his grandfather ... young Kyle is taking the trip his grandfather never got to take, which makes his journey take on even deeper meaning. One of the things I respect most about my young friend is his love for his family and friends ... Kyle gets it ... he gets what matters most in life. I can't possibly imagine the level of anxiety his mom is experiencing in regard to her baby boy's upcoming adventure, but I can easily imagine the level of pride she feels for her son.
Though Brad and Kyle are traveling for different reasons and their journeys will have different outcomes at the end of these two months, they share one common trait ... courage. It takes courage to leave your comfort zone, no matter what that comfort zone may be. For both Brad and Kyle to do what they're doing takes certifiably crazy courage, and I'm beyond proud of them for following their dreams and broadening their horizons. Both Brad and Kyle will return in two months as changed young men, of that I have no doubt. They will have a new perspective on life ... a perspective they could never have if they didn't have the courage to take a leap of faith, to trust their hearts, to pave new trails and experience new horizons.
A Civic, a Chevy and certifiably crazy courage ... go get 'em, boys.
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