An Adventure and Some Pondering

The end of another academic year is upon us.

Maceo is soon to enter his senior year of high school and Bishop his junior year.

Lately we have been attending graduation parties and we are gearing up for the Senior Show at the theatre and it all has me thinking.

This season of my life will soon be over.  I have been raising children for the past twenty-eight years and have been homeschooling them for the past fifteen.

I have been living and learning side by side with them for more years of my life than not.

And I wouldn't trade it for anything.

But soon this portion of my life will be over and I have to wonder what is next for me.

You know, it's not that I haven't pursued my own interests all this time and I do have an identity separate from that of mom.  But we have learned together.  We have adventured together.

And I have so enjoyed sharing that adventure with them.

It has been a reciprocal relationship.  They develop an interest and I join them, to some degree, in that pursuit as a way to facilitate their learning.  If I have an interest they, in turn, encourage and support me in that endeavor.

Now the time for me to stand on my own is approaching and I have begun to wonder if I will be able to do it.

I sit at ArtFest watching the kiddos perform and wonder if I will still attend and cheer the kiddos on after Maceo has finished troupe and is no longer performing on the showwagon stage.

I go to the homeschool convention that I have been attending for over a decade and wonder how I will fit into the homeschool community in a couple of years.

And, mostly, I wonder if I will have the courage to pursue all the cool and interesting things out there, in the world, when I no longer have my companions by my side.

This past weekend there was a really cool event happening in a neighboring town.  The boys were occupied and unable to attend and I had to decide if I would go on my own or not.

I went.

I had a great time and found that I am great company.  I was alone but not lonely.

And I learned so much.  I think I am going to be ok.

I will still go to ArtsFest and cheer on all the performers.  I will still find a way to contribute to the homeschool community.

And I will still pursue experiences and knowledge.

The transition won't be easy.  There will be many things that I miss.  

But the adventure will go on!!!