Seat at the End of the Table

    So, with two kids gone and two left at home, we're all working to recreate our humble and loving home life. Who will take which additional chores, who needs to drive who (where and when), new rooms to move into, empty space to clean up, and the remnants of two kids stuff to move into storage. Mostly sad stuff; just ask the kids taking on additional chores and cleaning. However, there are happy moments.

    When we eat dinner or any other meal together as a family, there is a certain precedence on who sits where. The biggest bone of contention is the seat at the end of the table, which I have reserved for the eldest child in the house. No Bar or Bah Mitzvah, Debutante Ball, Jugendweihe, Okuyi, or Russ for this family -- our rites of passage entail the movement from the bench to a chair at the end of the table. A symbol of increased age, responsibility, and prestige. Erin now sits happily upon her new throne glad, in this way, for her two elder siblings departure.

    Additionally, since we don't have the two older kids around to run herd on the two younger, it's more important that we be able to reach the two youngest by phone; hence, they each have basic phones and are still grinning ear to ear. I know I'm going to hear about this later. For Taegan, we wouldn't allow a phone until sixteen, Pat got his phone at fifteen, and now Sean and Erin have phones at fourteen and thirteen. I know we as parents have been unjustly cruel in the eyes of our eldest daughter, but there was some method to our madness.

    Most days I'm fine. I go about my normal routine and only occasionally miss Taeg and Pat. It's like having a small cut on your hand that you don't notice too much, until something acidic is applied. Then you remember the cut because of the burning and pain you're experiencing. When I go about my day and expect to see those two, and then don't, I feel it. When I get an email or letter I'm overjoyed, but as soon as I start to read I can feel a welling up inside. We received letters from Taegan and another letter/email from Pat. I'll probably share snippets here and there, but for now I'm cherishing and hoarding them for myself.

    So, that's it for now. We're just adjusting to the seat at the end of the table.

Guatemala MTC March 2013

(Pat is under the second window from the left)