Pithy Observations

• The trouble with being punctual is that nobody is there to appreciate it.
• To prevent sagging skin, eat till the wrinkles fill out.
• Laughing stock is really just a cow with a sense of humor.
• You can't have everything ... where would you put it?
• If the shoe fits ... get another one just like it.
• If it ain't broke ... you don't live in a house with kids!

And I hope you parents of college freshmen don't have the experience of the family whose son came home at Thanksgiving with a semester's worth of dirty laundry. Soon after stepping into the laundry room, he shouted to his mom, "What setting do I use on the washing machine?"

She called out, "It depends. What does it say on your shirt?"

"Tennessee!"

Empty-Nester

I don't mean to diminish what parents of the last child going off to college are feeling, but I've felt maybe .0001% of what those parents feel -- I took my Bobcat to the Nashville airport yesterday (7-29-09). While Pat Murphy and I seldom crossed paths, the house really felt empty last night, knowing that nobody was going to be coming in at 10:30 pm, or even 1:30 am from an away game. I've tried to analyze it ... haven't come up with much. It does drive home the fact that we're meant to live in community, and I think I've lost ground in coping with living alone. Also, I'm the same age as Pat's dad, so maybe there was just a bit of a sense of having a "child" at home, and now that's gone.

.....I've always thought I've been interested/concerned about what parents of college-bound kids feel when school starts. I think I may have just a tad more understanding for what you feel. Sure, my "child" was only home 10 weeks, compared to 17-18 years. But, hey, you probably welcome any bit of understanding, right? So parents, we'll be praying for you with a special focus in these next few weeks and months. Rest assured -- you've done a good job; God can redeem even what you fear were failures in your parenting; you're entrusting your kids to God, not to the college faculty and staff (no matter how good they are), and therein must lie your/our peace. But, if you need an extra hug, or a listening ear, just come and tell me you miss your "baby," and I'll be there!

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"Empty-Nester" Wayne

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Do You Remember?

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.....I thought this item from the May/June Upper Room may speak to those of you parents still trying to get used to your kids being off in college. It's by Susi Lockard.

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.....When my children were infants and I rocked them to sleep, I sang to them and prayed for them. I remember holding my 14-month-old son and praying for his future relationships with his roommates, his friends, his wife. For years, I came back to the same prayer. I know I must have wearied the Lord with my prayers; but Matthew 7:7 tells us to keep on asking, seeking, and knocking.

.....When my son went off to college, I couldn't wait to hear about his roommate. "Well, Mom, he is a recovering drug addict. He was sent here for a year of rehabilitation and is studying art, taking part in sports, and trying to re-enter normal life."

.....I felt as if God had let me down, and my disappointment came through. "I don't understand. I have prayed for 18 years for you to have a good roommate who would have a good influence in your life.

.....My son, wiser than I, answered, "Maybe his mother was praying the same prayer." My son knew that he had been nurtured all his life and now had a chance to nurture a young man with serious problems.

.....God answers our prayers from wisdom greater than ours. I thought that my son needed a strong Christian friend; God knew that my son needed to be a strong Christian friend.

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