Yesterday, my two college kids took off to start their fall quarter. How did the summer go by so fast?

Summer started with such a jolt. College kids come bursting back on the scene, dragging STUFF and friends into the house. We all re-adjust to a “new normal”: Laundry quadruples, the fridge is constantly empty yet dishes pile up in the sink, the television jumps between ESPN or America’s Next Top Model. My visa bill is alarmingly high as we absorb the cost of two more adults-who-are-really-still-kids…dentist bills, new shoes and clothes, a six-month supply of shampoo and toothpaste.

And the noise! The only time the house is a guaranteed quiet is in the morning, when those nocturnal beings (not unlike skunks) sleep in.

But it just feels so “right” to have them home, to have a full house and a crowded driveway. From a mom’s point of view, anyway.

Last week, I woke up in the middle of the night feeling a little sad about the coming changes. The Lord reminded me that my kids are “suspended” right now. They’re just…waiting. Most of their friends have already left for college, summer jobs have wrapped up, and it’s time for them to get busy with their own lives. Somehow, I felt better after that awareness.

Still, as their cars left the driveway yesterday and I waved until they were out of sight, I felt a sharp pain. I thought of so many of my friends, just like me, saying a prayer over these beloved kids as we wave until they’re out of sight.

And then I went back inside and started to adjust to another “new normal.”

Took about twenty minutes!