Next Chapter

Reading one chapter at a time provides you with the ability to focus on the content in front of you and make the most of it. Writing one chapter at a time also allows you to pay attention to the details and not miss those random moments of creativity and clarity.

I am not referring to a book - but rather life.  Yesterday marked a turning point in one chapter for my family.  Our final check for our children's primary education was paid.  Seventeen years of paying for a catholic education has come to an end with a simple 'check cleared' update from our bank.  My wife and I decided several years ago that we would do what we could to insure a quality education for our three children and can now say we made it.  Our children did not let us down!  Each of them, in their own way, took advantage of the opportunity and have more than pleased us with what they did with that opportunity. Excellence in school, role models as citizens, discerning thinkers, athletic standouts - overall, just really good people.  I could not be more proud of them individually, and as a trio - I am often breathless just thinking about them.

So what about the next chapter?  That started a few years ago, when our oldest was graduating high school.  It didn't really register for me at that time, but he made a decision (or series of decisions) that started it all.  Listening to him share why he was making his decision to attend a specific college - I was attentive but it was surreal.  The same thing happened with our daughter .... listening intently on why she was making 'the choice' on where to go to school. Both of them shared the why, where and when information with us and both have done extremely well following their dreams and decisions. But I wasn't really there - it was somewhat an out of body experience for me.  How could my kids be making such grown up decisions to leave home and chart their own course?  The exclamation point came to me the same day as the final check cleared for high school. Simply, our youngest made his decision on where to attend college and the deposit was sent in. 

This chapter began a little while ago and I honestly had not noticed how fast it was being written. As the final days of our family's connection to primary school comes to an end, we are reminded that each chapter is special ... and finite. The college years are flying by and in a few months - another chapter will start.