There's A Kayak in My Dining Room (and other signs my son is home from college)

My youngest boy is home from college.

Well, "technically," he's not home YET.

He's in "east Asia" on a trip with his school. Maybe, hopefully, I can report more on that after he gets home. :)

But his stuff is here. And by "stuff," I mean...EVERYTHING HE OWNS. And by "here," I mean...ALL OVER THE PLACE.

But mainly, it's in my entry-way. And in my dining room. And in the living room that we never use.

We can't even open our front door like normal people. We have to kinda move things out of the way, and then move to one side as we open the door.

But it's okay.

It's just a season...and a reminder to all who enter that this is a HOME. It is not a museum. We LIVE here. We LAUGH here. We CRY here. And apparently? We KAYAK here.

So I have washed clothes, clothes, and more clothes since my baby has been in "east Asia." And even tho HE said he THOUGHT certain things were clean...I washed them anyway. Because: DORM.

And, I didn't have to...I know that...but it's my gift of service to him. And it makes me feel like I can still "mother" him in some small way.

Because, in case you don't know...there comes a time when you can't "mother" your kids like you used to. Some of the things you said you couldn't WAIT to be done with? You might miss doing them...when your kids are completely self-sufficient, and don't need you for anything.

I mean, you might miss it a little.

I miss some things a little.

I just want to be able to show my love to my family by taking care of them.

And so there's a kayak in my dining room.

Well, it's half-way in my dining room, and half-way in my entry way, because: KAYAK.

And there's a wooden desk and chair in my entry-way. And some shelves full of clothes in my entry-way. There's a small refrigerator in the garage. There's also a piece of carpet rolled up in the garage. The carpet has kind of fallen over into the shape of a candy cane.

There's a box containing a giant, inflatable Santa Claus (apparently this was in his dorm window all year). And there is a box of Christmas lights. And other various Christmas decorations.

There are boxes of clothes and books and "school items." EVERYWHERE YOU LOOK.

The blender stays dirty in the sink...crusted with left-over berries and milk, from smoothies.

We have to be careful backing out of our garage...because there's an extra car in the driveway.

There are towels hanging up over the shower...and on the bed posts...and on the stair banister. I have a lot more laundry.

I buy more food, and cook more food...and we make a lot more ice in the ice-maker (we usually turn it down when it's just the 3 of us here).

I keep running out of milk.

We've got more help with the yard work...and more help sharing the driving, when we go on trips.

I have a kayak in my dining room...and it's all good.

"Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." Psalm 90:12