So sweet to share one last long road trip with the four of us.
But after a good night's sleep, and breakfast and coffee with mom and dad/grandparents, it was time for some last photos before sending Caleb off to his wedding week.
Watching these two grow up together for the past 21 years has been a joy. Caleb always knew how to make his sister laugh, and still does! They have such a good brother/sister friendship.
Then there's Caleb and his dad: the older he gets, the more like his dad he becomes! While we drove yesterday it was so fun listening to them have similar thoughts, gestures, and ways of thinking.
Oh that dad is proud of his young man!
And then me, his momma, who hoped, dreamed and prayed for this time when I'd step aside to let a precious bride be the number one woman in his life. I told him this morning that it makes me so happy to be relinquishing that position to Haley!
Standing in front of Dave's childhood home, we took a last photo of the four of us before it was time for Caleb to go inside and gather his things.
Anxious to see his bride-to-be, he was leaving for Fort Collins today to be with her and her family. Haley's been there for a week with her mom and sister, but her dad and two brothers arrived just last night from Slovakia. I'm sure they were all anxious to be together as a family, which now includes our Caleb!
As he headed to the car, I remembered him leaving home for college two years ago and wondering what life would hold in the next few years.
How wonderful and good it is to know now that what life holds is a precious wife to come beside him and share life together with him. That makes it easy to see him leave and move on with his life.
Grandpa and Nana generously loaned him one of their cars for the next two weeks, so after everything was loaded in the Jetta, it was time to say goodbye.
Of course we'll see him again in just a few days as we head to Ft Collins to join in getting ready for the wedding.
But today, this was our send-off, our "letting go", and blessing him into his future.
We're confident that he's ready for this next step in life, so it was with lots of joy that we waved goodbye and released him to the one that God has prepared him for: his precious Haley.
There were no tears, as I thought there might be.
But I think that's because we see this as the sweet fulfillment of the task God gave us twenty one years ago: to raise up a young man who is now ready for the task of beginning his own family.
That made it easy to see him drive off towards his wedding just six days from now.
Because...he's ready.
Ahhh, I love that, Connie! That is beautiful. We raise them to leave. I also love that 4600 S. Lipan has been home base for the Patty's even while scattered all over the world. Seeing pictures of the back patio reminds me of ice skating on there in the winter. The guys would run water on it so it froze and even put the picnic benches around the edges. All of us kids had a wonderful childhood in that neighborhood. Congratulations to the soon to be newlyweds!
ReplyDeleteAwesome way of telling the story and documenting "the leave" with pictures! I celebrate with you the fact that God has clearly brought Caleb and his precious Haley together. I can hardly wait to be there to celebrate with them and all of you!! Only five more days!!!! :o)
ReplyDeleteThank you for letting us in to these precious moments. I'll admit, I got teary reading and reminiscing with you. So thankful for God's faithfulness to each one of you. Love you lots and can't wait to see you!
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