Exhale

I've been holding my breath...

Our son was on his first mission trip.  A large group of kids (and adults) were going to Appalachia to work on houses and we had the jitters,

... would he remember to use sunscreen

... would he work hard

... would he make friends

... would he have fun

... would he remember to shower

... would he return home with all of his fingers??

It started off with lots and lots of packing... too much stuff! - but what to leave out?... well, while the buses were being loaded, we were pulling things out and condensing everything down to one bag... one very large, heavy bag.  A quick goodbye and he was off!

Now you would think that my hubby and I would be kicking up our heels and enjoying this new freedom - but no, we moped about, sulked, took a nap {or two}and then heard from our son.  He was on his way, he was having fun!  Then we lost contact. He was out of phone range... out of touch... for 7 days... s.e.v.e.n. long days. 

We knew that if there was a problem that we'd hear from them.  So we tried to relax... and have some fun... We went out to dinner to places that we enjoyed... we planned small trips and reconnected with each other.

But it was hot - really hot and humid (you too?) - and we don't have a/c (hubby doesn't like a/c, so no a/c here) and we kept thinking about what it would be like working on a house in all of that heat.

But  f  i  n  a  l  l  y  Saturday arrived and hubby was able to speak with our son as he was heading home!  And he was thrilled (hubby that is!) and son had had a great time, a fun time.  There had been lots of work and lots of friendships made.  We waited anxiously for the bus to arrive... and then there he was!  And the stories and adventures started to pour out.  So much growth in one week. 

And then...

I was able to exhale...

Marcy