Gratitude (pt. 1)

There is a popular contemporary Christian song by Brandon Lake that has become special to Warren and me.  Whenever I hear "Gratitude" it's a bit of a running joke between us because I have to change the station.  Though I love the song, I cannot listen to it without crying bawling, sobbing.  And, if I'm honest, I'm really not even sure why.  It started long before any of this college season began.  Like long before graduation.  It's been a thing for a good bit now.  Something in the bridge just hits me:

    "Oh, come on, my soul
    Oh, don't you get shy on me, lift up Your song
    'Cause you've got a lion inside of those lungs
    Get up and praise the Lord."

In fact, just copying and pasting those words......oooooof!

So, when this season of change in our life finally arrived, I couldn't help but embrace it all with gratitude. Part 1, what you're reading now, is just a reflection of the college move in experience, followed by so much gratitude for the days leading up to that.  And Part 2 will be a quick recap of Warren's first couple of days and weeks on campus.  Still, filled with so much gratitude!  

Part 1

No matter how prepared you think you are (and believe me, I thought I was beyond prepared)...I guess you are never really ready.  Two weeks ago, we drove 10 hours to move Warren into his freshmen dorm at Samford University, in Birmingham, Alabama.  Moving in was quiet and peaceful....not at all the chaos I was prepared for.  After we moved him in and helped him get set up and unpacked, we took him for a late lunch, before the inevitable.  We had hoped to go to Taco Mama (one of our local favorites), but in the midst of the move in, we realized his airpods needed repair.  In an attempt to get those fixed before we left (you know, trying to do "all the things" while we could still help), we weren't able to make Taco Mama happen.  So we hit Shake Shack, instead.  Lunch was quick, as we were trying to eat and do a few last minute things in his room before we said our goodbyes in time for him to make his first Residence Hall meeting.  

The goodbye was hard.  Probably as hard as you'd imagine.  I bawled.  Warren bawled.  Chris cried.  And Harp...I'm so grateful for Harper!  He was our strong, comic relief.  Once we got in the car, I let out all the emotions I had held inside.  For the past months leading up to move in, I was filled with such a strange range of emotions.  Excitement and dread!  Anxiety and peace.  Grief and joy!  Sadness and happiness!  Sitting in a place where both sides of the emotions exist felt very strange.  

After we regrouped, our new little family of 3 headed to dinner at, none other than Taco Mama, where I quickly realized I deserved a margarita!  We spent our last night in Birmingham and headed home Saturday.  

If I'm being honest, I have to tell you that our goodbye was as beautiful as it was gut-wrenching.  When we walked in Warren's room, a "Bye for Now, Bulldogs" envelope was waiting for us on his desk.  Inside was a flyer titled Putting Down Roots, which compared the roots of the strong mighty oaks found all around the campus to the roots Warren is laying down at Samford.  On the back listed 7 Steps to Saying Goodbye, from Taking a Photo with the iconic Mr. Beeson statue (Samford tradition is to then take the same photo at graduation) to scanning QR codes to hear a few words from the president.  Attached was a silver oak tree pin to remind us that Samford students are much like those mighty oak trees.  And our farewell was capped off by a Spotify playlist, the school had compiled for the drive home.  I was prepared for sad, gushy farewell songs.  Instead, we found state songs (starting off with Sweet Home Alabama), mixed with fun, sentimental tunes and songs of praise and worship.  

I'd be lying if I said these last few months weren't filled with anxiety.  Anxiousness over "Do you think he'll need.....?" or "He still hasn't heard from his roommate." or "Do you think you're going to rush?"....gosh, even a text from his advisor saying, "Warren, we still need your final transcript, showing your graduation date."  To combat that, I began a much more intentional prayer time this summer, starting each day with "Today, I am grateful for...." and listing just 3 things.  I'm three months in and can honestly say that, followed by a quiet devotional and prayer time, this practice has made all the difference for me.  In fact, I bumped my alarm clock back and now get up at 4:45 each morning, just so I can have more time.  Spending time in devotion and gratitude has turned this entire "college season" into something more beautiful than I ever could have imagined.  

As I look back, Warren had the most perfect "send off".....for which I am so grateful for!  Before they all went their different ways, his classmates spent a morning playing pickleball, ending with one last pool party at the house.  I am so grateful for those friends, who have been like family to him, for the last four years of high school.  And those mommas have been a blessing I never would have known I needed.  We have an incredible text thread among us that has honestly been a lifeline!  We've asked each other five million questions to make sure we're all on the right track.  (And believe me, there is power in a group of women who allow you to ask the dumbest of questions, and answer in ways remind you that you are not alone.)  We've prayed for each other's kids as they've moved across the lake.  We've prayed for them as they've been rushed to the hospital during Orientation, hundreds of miles away......or as they learned to take an Uber to Urgent Care.  One momma even called and prayed for Warren on my voicemail!  Even now, 2-3 weeks in, we're still in touch, checking on one another and our kiddos!  I'm so grateful to be part of such a network of strength!    

Warren was able to spend a day at the beach with his two best buddies.  And as he called and asked if he could spend the night with them, which meant he'd miss the last Sunday at church with us.....instead of being sad or upset, I was so grateful he had such good friends.  And not just "good friends" but friends that are genuine, good people!  Friends (and their families) I would choose for him, if he hadn't himself. He spent time with one of his best girl friends, who he has literally grown up with, since birth.  I'm grateful for their friendship, for her patience with him over these 18 years (especially these last 4 years) and for her genuine acceptance of him.  We went out for ice cream (a tradition of ours) with our best friends, who are like family.  Friends we've walked through elementary, middle and high school with.  And though our boys are definitely four different boys....I'm grateful that we can always still get together to celebrate life.  His incredible Young Life leaders, who have guided him since middle school and are like his big brothers, took him to the Dallas Bull for his first experience at line dancing.  I'm grateful for the way in which they've walked beside him, mentored him and celebrated him in a way his parents cannot. 

We hosted a Samford SendOff, which allowed him (and us) time to connect with other "local" Samford families.  Samford sent us a "Party in a Box" which had everything we needed, from Send Off Bingo sheets, to table decorations and party prizes, allowing us to simply focus on the connections.  Thought most of the families who came were from Orlando, Warren was able to connect with 2 other freshmen boys, one of whom is just next door to his dorm room.  (I believe God fully orchestrated this, knowing this would come in very handy during the first week!)  We were able to connect with other families who were feeling all the same things we were.  Even their amazing advisor drove up from Melbourne to join us all as we celebrated the send off.  I'm grateful for a school that is so intentional in prioritizing connections and relationships.    

And then we had friends and family over for a final farewell.  He spent the week before "launching" at Samford surrounded by people who love him.  While I had fully expected to be sitting in grief during the weeks before move in, instead I was filled with gratitude for the incredible village we've been gifted.  Walking through this season with Warren has been a gift.  I'm grateful for the people who have poured into him, I'm grateful for the wonderful school where he gets to learn and grow into who he was called to be and I'm grateful Chris and I were chosen to now walk beside him as his parents.  

(And I'm grateful we survived the first week.....which left Warren "adulting" real quickly!  Stay tuned.....)