But in reality ...

Sunday was Take Willie Back to College Day.

Here's how I planned the day:

10:00 Willie and I would leave for Christopher Newport University (CNU), unpack the car and inspect the house where Willie will live to determine what item(s) he needed to make it through the school year successfully.

10:45 Willie and I would shop for a couple of hours. Based on what Willie had originally guessed he might need, I expected to shop at Target, (school supplies and toiletries), Bed Bath & Beyond (kitchen items), and Costco (food and drinks for all).

12:00 The rest of the family, Gary, Andy & Kayti, would then join us for a tour of the house and a nice lunch out somewhere in Newport News.

1:30 We'd all hug (and cry a little) and wave good-bye. We'd hit the road and travel via I-64 and I-95 for the usual 3 hours.

4:30 We'd be home ... all of us except Willie.

Here's how the day went:

10:00 Willie and I drove in his car to CNU. After he alerted his housemates that a mom was about to enter the house, we unpacked his car by stacking all of his things in the living room of the house. No one knew who was gong in what room yet. We looked through the kitchen cabinets, but no one was sure what was needed ... except a french coffee press would be nice.

10:35 Willie and I went to Target and got coffee and a coffee press. He said he'd rather get everything on his own later. We stepped into Bed Bath & Beyond to see if they had any cheap coffee mugs (nope).

11:15 Willie suggested I call Gary to see when they'd arrive. Gary said they would meet us at the house in 10 minutes.

11:30 Willie showed the family the house. We hugged the boy and waved good-bye.

11:50 We hit the road. The traffic was awful on the interstate, so we ended up coming home via quaint little Route 17 ... at least we were moving.

4:30 We were home ... all of us except Willie.

Monday was Take Andy Back to College Day. It went exactly as planned.

Another day on the planet.

My favorite mornings are the ones where I wake up slowly and have the chance to talk to God before I have to talk to humans. On those precious mornings, the first thing I say to God is "Thank you for another day on this planet." What a blessing it is to have another day to spend with my family and friends. I suppose my gray hair perspective contributes to my appreciation of such a gift. Nonetheless, I've tried very hard to teach my kids to also value the opportunities that lie ahead of us at the start of each new day.

Although Kayti is capable of using an alarm clock, I have the privilege of serving that function most of the time. I love going into her room in the morning while she's sleeping ... she's so beautiful and sweet. Memories of my little girlie flood through me as I carefully sit on the edge of her bed and gently pat her arm. "Time to get up, sweet thing. It's Thursday, August 20 and 'This is the day that the Lord hath made!'" My dear daughter reaches her long, feminine arm up, pulls the covers over her head, and lets out this awful, guttural "my-mom's-pathetic" growl and rolls over. Much to her dismay, I love a challenge.

A life in the day

When exhausted mothers of toddlers look to me and my gray hair for advice, I have consistently said, "parenting becomes more mental than physical as kids age, so hang in there." Well, friends, I lied. Here I am at age 49, with kids who are almost 21, 19 and 15, and in the last few days I have jumped-started the old Jeep Cherokee affectionately known as Izabella, packed up the 1999 Ford F150 with furniture and unloaded it at the off-campus house in College Park, ridden countless miles in the front seat as the girlie with the Learner's Permit practiced driving the Nissan Armada (roughly the size of Noah's Ark), instructed and aided in the painting of the upstairs bathroom, put together one of those huge out-of-the-box bookshelves, got the stripped bolt off the bike and sent more text messages than a ninth grader. Good thing I don't have to play Candyland on the floor or "pirates on the high seas" on the swing set out back ... not sure my old arthritic knees could stand that!

Throw in the "mental" part, with the first-born anxious to get back to college, the second-born suddenly deciding he'll get that bike that's for sale up in Pennsylvania so off he drives to Lancaster (3 hours each way mind you), and the youngest who treasures her quiet time so she roams the neighborhood alone looking for a great spot to sit and read. Now understand this: I am thrilled my boy loves college so much that he is anxious to get back there, and I'm proud of my son for researching bikes and being willing to go get exactly what he wants and what he can afford, and as for that sweet girl, who doesn't want some alone time? BUT, the emotional toll of letting go again, the irrational fear of car accidents and the ridiculous panic of a random kidnapping still filter through my mind despite the faith I have that everything will be just fine.

This day, and its physical and mental challenges, is almost over now and it seems as if it has lasted a lifetime. Andy is packed. Willie's new bike is awesome. Kayti is up in her room watching Gene Kelly dance across the television screen. All are safe and sound. This time next week, both boys will be back at college and Kayti will be preparing to start her second year in high school. Where did the time go?