3-2-1....

Earlier this week Jenee and I took a trip to visit Mitten State. Having a tight knit group of friends with kids of various ages, I have heard stories of tests, college visits and senior year. I have even laughed at some of my friends when they have gotten weepy over all of the senior things. Jenee and I got to the football stadium, our designated parking place, and as I pulled into a parking spot, my nose began to tingle and my vision became very sharp from the tears that threatened to fall on my cheeks. I felt like somebody had loaded us onto a big sling-shot and shot us from 1991 to now at warp speed. What was the big deal about the football stadium parking lot? We were just there two weeks ago. The difference was we weren't there for football, we were there for Jenee. Since blubbering Mom is more embarrassing than Mom-who-takes-pictures-of-EVERYTHING-pertaining-t0-senior-year, I widened my eyes to absorb the evidence and shoved the moment aside. We took in all that we could at State. We ended the day by meeting with Kim and Myles (Kim was Cole's language arts teacher this last year and is now my very dear friend. Myles is her very kind husband and Cole's personal reading coach.) We went into the stadium for icecream and a tour of the career center. We are on the ride now and we cannot get off early. A meeting about Uof Mitten is on the calendar.

At this very moment I am waiting for a phone call from Cole. He is riding his bike to soccer camp. Somehow riding his bike across Mitten avenue opens his world. Once he gets across Mitten Avenue he can go many places without us. Feasably, he could ride all the way to my parents, then why not the school, and Walmart. Yikes. Jim is probably laughing at me right now. We grew up in the city and we rode our bikes EVERYWHERE. But this trip is symbolic. He crossed this barrier and is on his way. This year he may not be entering junior high like Jenee did 5 years ago, but he is on to new things as he begins his dual enrollment. So I find myself willing the phone to ring so I can hear my boy with the man-like voice calling to tell me that he is OK. My visions is sharper right now and my nose tingling. Since I have nobody to impress, or more importantly embarrass, I will let one trek down my cheek as I realize these are the moments that will catch me off guard. It will not be the first day of school or necessarily all of the other LASTs that will catch me. It will be the little sneaky moments that represent the big steps.

"My wish for you little one: roots and wings."