Time to Fly the Nest

Another chapter in my life occurred yesterday.....my first born is leaving the nest.  Over the last few weeks he has been staying at his friend's apartment so we've barely spoken.  The apartment is closer to his job so he can easily walk to work without having to pay a friend for transportation.  Last night Michael and I went grocery shopping at Jordan's job, where lo and behold he was there working.  After grabbing a quick hug, we talked about how he was doing at which point he said he had decided to move out to his friend's place. 

Now, the head part of me felt proud of my son, venturing out on his own as a responsible young man.  The heart part of me felt sad, concerned, and emotional over the fact that the time had come, after 20 years a part of my home, he was leaving my nest to let his wings fly. 

Michael and I then wandered the grocery aisles while I avoided discussing my conversation with Jordan.  At some point in the sugar aisle, Michael said "I know it's hard because you have to let your boy become a man," at which point my tears began falling.  Pulling myself together, we finished our grocery trip, paid and packed the groceries. 

Making our way to the exit, we again ran into Jordan ending his shift.  We spoke again at which point Jordan said "You are upset because your boy is moving out, huh Mom?  Give me a hug."   He gave me a long hug then, after a few more words of encouragement, we parted.  I'm proud of my son, who graduated high school, has held his job for almost a year and now is taking the next step to become a self-sufficient adult.  Exciting for him but a bit melancholy for me as one son leaves and I realize my youngest is on the perch to soon depart as well.  Here's to Jordan's self-sufficiency and, to toot my own horn, my ability to have helped him achieve this goal.