Day 253 all about sons.

Day 253 and I'm sorry I missed the last 6 days. Not a lot of Internet access at 8561ft. I scraped ice off my car on Thursday .....not even double figures in September. Imagine how cold it will be in January .....they say 40 below!

I was in Colorado taking our oldest son to Timberline Bible School nestled in a beautiful valley not far from one of the best ski resorts in Colorado. He's there for a year.

As for me leaving him alone in a new place surrounded by new people miles and miles from home - he coped with it much better than his dad! [You see I do have a heart!!]

As I drove away fighting back the tears, my first thought was - imagine if I was a single parent dropping off my only child. I couldn't imagine that emotion. I know he's doing a great thing, he knows it too. Its going to be life changing, life shaping - but we're going to miss him like crazy. Just as your son reaches the stage where conversation with him is good and meaningful; your his parent but also his friend; and he keeps his room clean and is bothered about personal hygiene - just then he leaves you (with you picking up the tab for it!).
My first thought was imagine how a single parent would cope with this.

That night, alone in my condo waiting my return flight, I began writing a funeral preach for the 22 year old son who tragically was killed in a road accident on Labor Day morning. I imagined his mother and sisters emotions. How do you cope with that? My tears moved from leaving my son in a good place for a good reason for a short time to tears for that family, and few tears of regret over my lack of perspective.

Quite a week.
A week with significant thinking about sons leaving.
Working on two preaches about the leaving of the prodigal son.
Understanding even more the leaving of God's only Son.
Wondering about how God feels when I, his son, leave.

A good, difficult, deepening week.