Can the world please slow down? I'm getting dizzy.
Sometimes life can drag on and on and on…..and other times it seems to zoom right by me and I don’t realize what has happened until it has gone on by.
The past week has felt that way. Just a week ago tomorrow began a downhill roll that didn’t stop until I hit the bottom Monday night. I am so appreciative to HISD for choosing to honor some of the Jewish holidays. Not that I actually celebrate them – I am not even sure what this one was – but it sure was nice having Thursday and Friday off. I could not have planned it better had I had the choice to do so. I spent both days getting ready for Nathan’s going away party that we had at our house on Friday night. We roughly estimate about 60 people came to bid their farewells. Almost half of the group was students from the English language school he has taught at since January. Only a mother could feel such joy to have one student after another coming up to me, expressing their honor and respect for Nathan. Things like “he is the best teacher at ELS” or “the school won’t be the same without him” or “Nathan is such a fun person – I will greatly miss him.” Comments came from young adult students from literally all over the world. I welled up with tears each time.
Then there were the co-workers from the school as well as those from the tutoring job he had while at U of H and those he has worked with at Cities for the past 5 years or so. Nathan is certainly one of those people who make friends that love him deeply.
There was also a constituency of folks from Harbor Church that he has been around for the past 5 years. They are folks who have appreciated his sharing of his home, his family and his kindness through the years.
Two other things that helped to make the evening a memorable one:
1 – The Party Queen was there to help with the menu and cooking of the food (in case you don’t know whose alias that may be; it is the one and only CINDY GOZA! Lifelong friend of the Herrington’s – surrogate family member to all of our children. I NEVER attempt to throw a party without her input and assistance – thanks, Lou!)
2 - “So, anyway, how 'bout kareoke?" We rented a kareoke machine and had a great time singing to each other. Even some of the most bashful got up and belted out a tune. Miss Haley Hartzog did a great job as the emcee for the night with Kelly Hanna serving as the DJ. And did you see in the paper that there was a sighting of Patsy Cline at the party?
The Texas-style “kick-off”was definitely a hit. It is hard to imagine Joshua Wood or James Herrington wearing the cute little cowboy boots that we used as table decorations. They, of course, didn’t have the bluebonnets in them when these young cowboys wore them. I was afraid Will Phillips was going to wear Nathan’s black felt cowboy hat home – he did make a cute cowhand himself!
I got to bed around midnight only to get up to be at Omega House by 9:00, followed by coming home to continue getting the house back in order and pulling together dinner for church. Did I mention my 3 precious grandgirls spent the night with us? And Amanda was home – all 4 girls slept in our room since Amanda’s room is being used by Jessica and her 14 month old son for the month.
Monday was the day Nathan left for France – whoever said “parting is such sweet sorrow” must have been a mom. What a mixture of emotions – sadness, joy, pride, fear, regrets, precious memories…..It will be a long time until next May. If I can do anything about it, we will go to visit him while he’s there.
So the weekend came and went ….I know there was something that I wanted to say to Nathan or did I say it and I worry that he didn’t REALLY see what my heart was saying?
I love being the mother of adult children. I feel so blessed that each of them bring a unique kind of joy to my life – a special kind of pride that comes from being their mom. God has truly blessed me….and it just keeps getting better and better….and yet harder and harder at times….a good kind of hard. (Is that possible?)
Epilogue: I think this is the first official time that all 4 kids have moved out of the house – not just for a night or 2. And yet it isn’t an empty nest – we have each of the empty rooms filled with a young lady and her baby until the end of the month. THEN will it be empty? Probably not, but this will go down in the records as the time when we have no Herrington children living with us anymore. (So why the tears? Let’s just blame it on hormones!)
The past week has felt that way. Just a week ago tomorrow began a downhill roll that didn’t stop until I hit the bottom Monday night. I am so appreciative to HISD for choosing to honor some of the Jewish holidays. Not that I actually celebrate them – I am not even sure what this one was – but it sure was nice having Thursday and Friday off. I could not have planned it better had I had the choice to do so. I spent both days getting ready for Nathan’s going away party that we had at our house on Friday night. We roughly estimate about 60 people came to bid their farewells. Almost half of the group was students from the English language school he has taught at since January. Only a mother could feel such joy to have one student after another coming up to me, expressing their honor and respect for Nathan. Things like “he is the best teacher at ELS” or “the school won’t be the same without him” or “Nathan is such a fun person – I will greatly miss him.” Comments came from young adult students from literally all over the world. I welled up with tears each time.
Then there were the co-workers from the school as well as those from the tutoring job he had while at U of H and those he has worked with at Cities for the past 5 years or so. Nathan is certainly one of those people who make friends that love him deeply.
There was also a constituency of folks from Harbor Church that he has been around for the past 5 years. They are folks who have appreciated his sharing of his home, his family and his kindness through the years.
Two other things that helped to make the evening a memorable one:
1 – The Party Queen was there to help with the menu and cooking of the food (in case you don’t know whose alias that may be; it is the one and only CINDY GOZA! Lifelong friend of the Herrington’s – surrogate family member to all of our children. I NEVER attempt to throw a party without her input and assistance – thanks, Lou!)
2 - “So, anyway, how 'bout kareoke?" We rented a kareoke machine and had a great time singing to each other. Even some of the most bashful got up and belted out a tune. Miss Haley Hartzog did a great job as the emcee for the night with Kelly Hanna serving as the DJ. And did you see in the paper that there was a sighting of Patsy Cline at the party?
The Texas-style “kick-off”was definitely a hit. It is hard to imagine Joshua Wood or James Herrington wearing the cute little cowboy boots that we used as table decorations. They, of course, didn’t have the bluebonnets in them when these young cowboys wore them. I was afraid Will Phillips was going to wear Nathan’s black felt cowboy hat home – he did make a cute cowhand himself!
I got to bed around midnight only to get up to be at Omega House by 9:00, followed by coming home to continue getting the house back in order and pulling together dinner for church. Did I mention my 3 precious grandgirls spent the night with us? And Amanda was home – all 4 girls slept in our room since Amanda’s room is being used by Jessica and her 14 month old son for the month.
Monday was the day Nathan left for France – whoever said “parting is such sweet sorrow” must have been a mom. What a mixture of emotions – sadness, joy, pride, fear, regrets, precious memories…..It will be a long time until next May. If I can do anything about it, we will go to visit him while he’s there.
So the weekend came and went ….I know there was something that I wanted to say to Nathan or did I say it and I worry that he didn’t REALLY see what my heart was saying?
I love being the mother of adult children. I feel so blessed that each of them bring a unique kind of joy to my life – a special kind of pride that comes from being their mom. God has truly blessed me….and it just keeps getting better and better….and yet harder and harder at times….a good kind of hard. (Is that possible?)
Epilogue: I think this is the first official time that all 4 kids have moved out of the house – not just for a night or 2. And yet it isn’t an empty nest – we have each of the empty rooms filled with a young lady and her baby until the end of the month. THEN will it be empty? Probably not, but this will go down in the records as the time when we have no Herrington children living with us anymore. (So why the tears? Let’s just blame it on hormones!)
posted by Betty @ 10:00 PM
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