Emotional Rescue

This is my brain...not on drugs. It has been one emotional summer, although I knew it would be many months ago. In May, there was graduation and commissioning for the boy. Prom and graduation for the girl. My oldest had her second child. The boy left for LA in June and now the girl has gone off to college. I have watched as both of them have made tearful goodbyes to their friends and to their family. And vicariously got drawn into all of that. After sending the girl off yesterday, I needed this day off just to gather it all in. Last summer sucked so bad (see previous post) and this summer still sucked. It sucked less because while there was many a tearful goodbye, there was also celebration of finding new, exciting lives in faraway places. This is as bad is it will be and it's not that bad. I still walk by their rooms and sigh but I know this is the way it must be. My problem is that I have the "Dick Vermeil" complex. I am a crier, so was my mom. I can shed a tear at a heart wrenching story on TV or by a song. So, yesterday at brunch, I tried, but could not keep it together, I had to excuse myself. Em and I shared a few tears at the departure but I probably cried more than her. She has a great dorm room and an excellent roomate who's parents live just down the interstate nd promised to take care of her. Thanks, but that's my job, or it has been for the last 18 years. It's not easy to give that up.