Fly Like an Eagle!

 This morning bright and early we helped Rob bring the last of his big belongings to his new apartment in the city.  I got to meet his roommate C who seems like a nice fellow and helped him carry in his dresser.  The room mate pitched in with the mattress and Rob grabbed the drawers.  It was done before i knew it and suddenly I was hugging my son on the sidewalk and driving away.

He is, as most young people are equal parts ready and not ready.  He is eager I am sure for the autonomy of living on his own and not having to worry about the needs of other family members around him.  We are a big family and so there are bathroom logistics and since I like to know that everyone is safe at  night I request that he let me know when he'll be home. I don't care where he is, i just don't want to wake up in the morning and find out he never arrived home.  In his own place, I can just pretend he is tucked in safe at midnight and call it a day. LOL

He has been moving things over most of the week, but there are a few smallish things left to do.  He does not want to stop his mail coming here and he wants to come home for Sunday dinners.  He is a funny kid in that to me, you NEVER need a reason to stop over here.  But I think by making those 2 commitments he feels he has a reason to come and that makes it okay for him.

But I know he is nervous too.  Years ago, when Rob first came home to us we had a wonderful cat named Wally.  Wally was the most unusual feline.  He was not noisy because his previous owner was deaf, so he had a whole different way to communicating.  He was big and strong and very affectionate.  Rob had a lot of night terrors in those days.  Wally helped comfort him.  And when we read The Kings Stilts at bedtime, Rob decided that Wally was a "patrol cat" like in the story.  And for years, Wally patrolled and Rob felt safer.  Sadly, Wally developed cancer and passed.  We had him cremated and brought his ashes home intending to have a burial ceremony in our back yard.

I thought that was important to give Rob closure on the loss. But he never wanted to bury Wally.  The lovely wooden box has stayed in our house all these years and he has never actually been ready to bury him.  He has with other pets, but not Wally.

Yesterday as he gathered kitchen implements and other items, he asked my wife if he could bring Wally with him.  Of course she said yes.  So the patrol cat is still on duty.

As we drove to the city a bald eagle flew over our car.  I take that as a sign that my boy is really ready to spread his wings.  We have given him the foundation, and the love and the drive to make whatever his dreams are become reality. But I am still weepy and emo as all get out.  Many parents ease into this because their kids go away to college. Rob commuted so this all feels equal parts raw and right.