BOUND FOR THE PROMISED LAND

Today my grandson, Shawn, is moving to Columbus to attend Ohio State University. His mom, dad, and sister, along with his roommate's family, are traveling with a rented truck, loaded with the students' furniture and other items they'll need. For my grandson, this is a long-awaited dream come true. He's been talking about going to college ever since he first learned what college was. Throughout his high school years I'm sure Shawn heard his teachers make vague promises about hard work and good study habits being rewarded. He did work and study diligently, and has begun to reap those rewards. Shawn received numerous scholarships, some of which will be renewable yearly. In return for one of them in particular, he will be required to participate in community service, which involves visiting elementary schools and promoting good work and study habits among the students. He recently told me he thought that would be fun.

This past year has been a busy one for Shawn and his family. There were trips to search for the college that best offered what he needed, forms to fill out for prospective universities, and applications for scholarships. Gone are the days when guidance counselors do the preliminary work for the student. Students and parents of college-bound kids are now pretty much on their own. Shawn had the advantage of being born to extremely supportive parents. They adjusted work schedules and made time and funds available for travel. Shawn also drove to and from Columbus this summer for marching band seminars. Who knows? Maybe one day we'll see our grandson playing his tuba and dotting the "i" in the script "Ohio" the Ohio State University marching band spells out during halftime routines. That would be awesome.    

On Friday, I invited Shawn and family here for one last little gathering before he was off on his own. Glenn cooked on the grill and I fixed side dishes to accompany the meal. It was informal and relaxing. We ended the evening with a good sized bonfire which seemed to please everybody. All of us were in good spirits as we hugged goodbye but as Shawn and his family left our driveway, I was a little bit teary-eyed. The reasons were many, and I've no need to list them. Suffice it to say the years seem to have passed way too quickly. Shawn is now a grown young man - all six feet and two inches of him.

Glenn and I are very proud of our grandson and wish him the best life has to offer. As Shawn and I were playing one last  game of "Words With Friends"  Friday night, he commented favorably on my game-playing and I said I thought of him as my "mentor". He is certainly much younger and fresher from school than I, so he knew many good words to play, some of which I'd not known. In reply, his exact words were, "Ha that's funny. Thank you, but you've been teaching me ever since I was born". I doubt he'll ever know how much those words meant to me.

Good luck Shawn. Continue to work and study diligently, but don't forget to make time for fun along the way.