When D returned to full time work earlier this year, I gifted her a fountain pen, with the inscription "writing new chapters". The plural description emerged naturally, but right now it seems so prescient. Because a couple of months after starting work, we are experiencing another wonderful new chapter.
We are right now with J, on a 28-hour (32 if you count door to door yet it didn't feel too long at all as we wanted to maximise our time with him in this) journey to USA, where he will spend the next 4 years studying. 20 and a half years ago, we were simply overjoyed to have him as our son, named after the grace of God. Indeed, there were some signs that were noted. The biggest influence, however, is D brought him up well - right from the Michelin baby start to the asthmatic sickly child phase to the officer and gentleman he now is - and guide him still. Even our domestic help, F, cared for him. He has good role models (including doting grandparents and uncles & aunts) and he is a natural leader with a kind soul.
Photo credit: Happyologist via Pinterest
Like Nelson Mandela, he never settled for playing it small. As a young boy, he would generously offer our home to be the gathering place for his friends and our things to be the materials for their projects. As he got older, he gave them freely of his time, his strength, his knowledge and always his care.
Truth be told, that is a great accomplishment in one so young. I had mentioned somewhat whimsically that everyone should learn this wisdom by age 42 (the famous number that is the answer to Douglas Adams' question about life, universe and everything). That J understood this at half the time means that he is twice the man!
So here we are, accompanying this young man, a scholar, a soldier, a son to his new chapter. When he chose the course of study and the university, he had a heart to heart chat with me. He explained his purpose for why he chose the course. He explained his circumstances for why he chose the school. I had something else in mind but at the end of the day, I knew he made the right decisions. He has taken some of my paths, such as scouting, and having exceeded them he is right to now take his own. For he is not just his own man, he is a good man.
It is not surprising many of his friends came to see him off: his classmates, his gang, his fellow commandos.
While in Durham, in the Duke Gardens, appropriately, we get to experience one of nature's wonders: an eclipse of the sun. So befitting for J who is about to embark on environmental studies and in due course to apply his knowledge for the benefit of more of us. Right now, we wish him well with all our hearts. (In fact, straight from my heart, I made an eclipse poster and inscribed it with the serenity prayer specially for him to change the world courageously, but also with wisdom to accept with serenity things he cannot change, such as Mother Earth's cycle including the eclipse)
Photo credit: Duke Event Calendar
As a wee lad, no more than ten, J liked the band Simple Plan and one of their anthemic songs, Welcome To My Life. Now living away from home in a foreign land, he is truly beginning a new chapter of his life, and we can only wish him much adventure, education and happiness in all the new things he will now experience.
Photo credit: Musicnotes.com
There will be many new chapters, M going to university, J's graduation, significant others, our eventual retirements. For now, this one is deeply meaningful, even emotional.
