The New Normal

And so a whole week has passed and I can barely believe it! Last Friday we arrived on the Luther Prep campus and registered Will for his Freshman year. 

It was completely and utterly exhausting, I kid you not. Heaven forbid we break tradition for moving in weekend not to be sweaty hot.  Because hot it was.  Like every previous registration weekend I'd ever experienced.  My sister- in- law, who lives nearby the school, commented it was the hottest they've had all summer. Of course it was! Especially since Will was assigned Wittenburg, 3rd floor nosebleed section for his dorm room. And our van's air conditioner quit on us. 

All I can say about the whole experience of taking my eldest child to school over 900 miles away in a different country, dropping him off and leaving is that I had prayers on my side, ya'll. I had texts and emails coming to me while we were there that included specific prayers offered up for me and my family. I even had one local homeschool friend put together a Canadian mason jar full of tea, chocolates and Bible passages of encouragement! There is no other way to explain how calm I've felt and sure that we've made the right decision. I guess it could have been that the heat sucked all the energy and emotion out of me. But I'm pretty sure that's not it. The prayers, definitely the prayers. 

After homeschooling him all these years and being the one who decided what he would learn, how it would be taught and in what way and method, I was seriously concerned about delegating this out. I can say now that the classes, curriculum, schedule, expectations, standards, methodology, doctrine and worldview are what I would choose for him. How amazing is that? He's also able to participate in many different sports, broaden his musical ability and talents and hang with fellow Lutherans. We ate in the cafeteria twice while we were there and I actually liked it! Of course anytime I eat something I don't have to make and then clean up I'm more likely to enjoy but that's not the point. It's come a long way since my high school cafeteria days. I wonder if they still serve breakfast Spam sandwiches? Anyhoo … 

I was thrilled when the Dean explained why there wasn't a rule book the size of the yellow pages. They look at each child as a soul, bought and redeemed by the blood of Christ. Each of them is a sinner by nature who will struggle and make poor choices. But they will also be looked at as a saint made perfect in Christ who is constantly growing in their lives of sanctification through the work of the Holy Spirit. Instead of coming up with a book of rules every student should follow if they're going to be a Christian, they are reminded of who they are in Christ.  Every week they'll have 9 chapel devotions to attend so that by the end of the 4 years, they'll have attended over 1000 chapel devotions. That's apart from the Sunday morning church service they attend in town.  

All this and more has contributed to knowing this is where he needs to be!

It was during the opening service in the gymnasium that I realized the last time I was on campus and in the gym was for my sister's graduation in May of 2000. I was there with a 6 day old Will. Little could I have imagined that the next time I'd be back was to bring Will there as a Freshman!

Especially after visiting my nieces in the girls' dorm (which happens to be nicer and better smelling than the boys), I recalled my own positive experience and just got so excited for him. This is what we've wanted for him and this is the only place to get it. We continue to pray that God blesses his time there and that he will continue to grow in wisdom and stature.

Now I'm not going to lie - this will take some getting used to. We just had the quietest car ride home. I guess we know who the instigator was in the back seat - haha! It feels weird walking past his room and it being so empty. It's weird around the dinner table, just the three of us. He's having all these experiences without us around and we've been getting tidbits of texts all week. I'm not sure how often he'll do his laundry or if he'll turn his underwear inside out. By the end of the year, his bedsheets may walk themselves off the bed.  He may never vacuum the carpet remnants  he picked up for his room. But a week under his belt and he's managed to make it to all his classes, got all A's on assignments his first week and commented after his first piano lesson today that "all those long, dead years of theory finally paid off".  And a much anticipated phone call on Friday night revealed a tired but eager student who "really likes Latin" with a professor I had 20 years ago! 

On the home front, I finally get to solve the mystery of who keeps spitting toothpaste on the bathroom mirror and missing the toilet. I have less laundry to wash. And Zanna's now the messiest eater at the table. 

Scenes from our holiday in the Northwoods of Wisconsin visiting my parents and enjoying time with my sister Rebekah and her husband Tom from England.