The layers of leave-taking have been staggered over the last for weeks and I'm thankful for that.
Trevor returned to California on 26 August. Colin unpacked into his dorm room at RVA in Kenya on 6 September. And Jesse, well, Jesse came home to Arusha with Heather, Byron and me. It was a new experience to be here as a family of 4 with just our oldest and our youngest kids. Jesse is almost 12 years older than Heather yet they have a remarkably pleasant friendship between them. It's awfully cute to see them together, baking cookies or jumping on the trampoline or whatever.
But today brought the new reality as Jesse and his friend, Curtis, caught the shuttle to Nairobi. The great thing is that Jesse will get up to RVA and spend the late afternoon and evening with Colin. Woo hoo! So nice that he can do that. I'm happy for them. Jesse will stay over night and then catch his 11:25pm flight on Tuesday.
The not so great part is that Heather is trying on the only child role today and not liking it any too well. Let's just say it's been a little teary around here as she wonders what she's going to do when she wants to play a game of cards or challenge someone to beat her at that game they play on the trampoline when they try to kill the other person's bounce. Some people call it Seat Wars but my kids call it The Butt Game.
I'm thankful for the months together and the full store of memories that our banks hold. I don't mind saying that not all the memories are sweetness and joy. We grump around and get stressed and impatient as well as anyone else. In it all, I've always been thankful for the way the brothers have made sure that they make time for their baby sister. It makes a big difference, even if it means she needs to cry when they go away.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Monday, September 21, 2009
Strong Currents
There’s a place that we like to frequent when a day in the shade is required. The current in the pool at the spring (as the water comes out from an underwater source) pushes you firmly along if you get in the right spot at the mouth of the cave. We had a tradition with Max and Gina whenever we were there, (and I’ve lost track of how many times we were there with them,) that mandated a race of Dead Man’s Float. We would all let go of the roots along the edge of the pool at the same moment and vigorously DO NOTHING as we raced to the other end in a great float-off.
It always amazes me how well that current pushes us along.
Life has felt much like that, of late. Not that we’ve been doing nothing. No, that’s not what I mean. I mean that there has been a strong current taking us along. It’s a good current; one that I trust.
It’s good to know I can trust the current when we talk on the phone to Colin and hear that he’s having a hard time. Most of our phone calls have been very encouraging and we are the super proud parents of a young man who is making a huge transition well. And when the calls are not as encouraging, when Colin is terribly home sick and we ache to have him here, we are still the super proud parents of a young man making a huge transition well.
Sometimes, letting go of the holds along the bank is the best thing ever.
It always amazes me how well that current pushes us along.
Life has felt much like that, of late. Not that we’ve been doing nothing. No, that’s not what I mean. I mean that there has been a strong current taking us along. It’s a good current; one that I trust.
It’s good to know I can trust the current when we talk on the phone to Colin and hear that he’s having a hard time. Most of our phone calls have been very encouraging and we are the super proud parents of a young man who is making a huge transition well. And when the calls are not as encouraging, when Colin is terribly home sick and we ache to have him here, we are still the super proud parents of a young man making a huge transition well.
Sometimes, letting go of the holds along the bank is the best thing ever.
Monday, September 14, 2009
These are Nice :-)
I really like these old fashionedy photos that Trevor and Nelly have been taking. In the perfect photo digital day, it catches my attention to see grainy or faded photos that would be deleted off of a snappy camera by some.
Do you think that maybe they also happen to catch my eye because they are of Trevor and Colin... the Borden boys who are away off yonder right now? I'm guessing so :-)
Thursday, September 10, 2009
September Brings Change...
It was good to be in Loita. Yes, Byron spent a lot of the time working but living by a campfire meant that good things were built in. Good things like zebra, waterbuck, duikers, bushbuck and dik dik around our tents at night. Good things like 5 elephants displaying their indignation and mistrust as we pulled back into camp one evening.
In all the years we lived there, I never saw a single one of the Loita herd. Byron and the boys stalked them on foot but I was always home with a baby :-) I saw the damage they did to trees and the mounds of grassy dropping they left on the trails, but I never got to view them. They are skittish and wary up there and they melt away into the trees. Our large visitors skirted the clearing that night, but trumpeted from the cover of forest several times as we ate our dinner under the stars.
One of the surreal things about returning to Loita is that Andre has a satellite connection to the internet from the house we built back in the 90's. Because we needed to make sure we would receive any news that might suddenly arrive from the school in Kenya that Colin hadn't gotten into, I would drive the 20 minutes over to the house most days to quickly collect mail.
On Thursday there was news. And that's when everything changed.
The filled-to-capacity 10th grade class had settled and shuffled and Karen, the Director of Admissions, had managed to work out how to make room for a few more students. Colin was in.
I remember that I cried as I read the mail to everyone.
Curtailing our time in Loita by a couple of days, we headed down to Narok, across the Rift Valley and up to Kijabe on Sunday. Because we had come prepared for a last minute opening, we had a duffle bag of Colin's things already neatly labeled and ready to go. We moved him into his room, made his bed, and met the family that hosts that dorm. Next morning, bright and early, Colin jumped into 10th grade. He was a week late and it's been a scramble to catch up. I guess God thought a week in Loita with the family was more important for Colin than the first 5 days of classes :-)
So this has been quite an emotional week all the way around. Leaving a high school graduate at college is one thing. Leaving a 15 year old at boarding school is another. I don't mind letting the whole world know that we all cried as we left him after lunch on his first day of classes.
All of us feel really peaceful and positive about this new development. We can see God's hand in it and there are so many good things to embrace about being at a good school with great sports and lots of friends to be made all around. Still, we can't help being pretty much a mess. We're thankful that Colin will be home for at least a month after every 3 up there.
Less than 5 weeks now till he's home for a four day weekend. You can bet your last dollar we're counting the days :-)
In all the years we lived there, I never saw a single one of the Loita herd. Byron and the boys stalked them on foot but I was always home with a baby :-) I saw the damage they did to trees and the mounds of grassy dropping they left on the trails, but I never got to view them. They are skittish and wary up there and they melt away into the trees. Our large visitors skirted the clearing that night, but trumpeted from the cover of forest several times as we ate our dinner under the stars.
One of the surreal things about returning to Loita is that Andre has a satellite connection to the internet from the house we built back in the 90's. Because we needed to make sure we would receive any news that might suddenly arrive from the school in Kenya that Colin hadn't gotten into, I would drive the 20 minutes over to the house most days to quickly collect mail.
On Thursday there was news. And that's when everything changed.
The filled-to-capacity 10th grade class had settled and shuffled and Karen, the Director of Admissions, had managed to work out how to make room for a few more students. Colin was in.
I remember that I cried as I read the mail to everyone.
Curtailing our time in Loita by a couple of days, we headed down to Narok, across the Rift Valley and up to Kijabe on Sunday. Because we had come prepared for a last minute opening, we had a duffle bag of Colin's things already neatly labeled and ready to go. We moved him into his room, made his bed, and met the family that hosts that dorm. Next morning, bright and early, Colin jumped into 10th grade. He was a week late and it's been a scramble to catch up. I guess God thought a week in Loita with the family was more important for Colin than the first 5 days of classes :-)
So this has been quite an emotional week all the way around. Leaving a high school graduate at college is one thing. Leaving a 15 year old at boarding school is another. I don't mind letting the whole world know that we all cried as we left him after lunch on his first day of classes.
All of us feel really peaceful and positive about this new development. We can see God's hand in it and there are so many good things to embrace about being at a good school with great sports and lots of friends to be made all around. Still, we can't help being pretty much a mess. We're thankful that Colin will be home for at least a month after every 3 up there.
Less than 5 weeks now till he's home for a four day weekend. You can bet your last dollar we're counting the days :-)
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