A New Normal

We stopped at Valpo for a quick visit with Caleb on our trip to Cleveland for Labor Day.  I love this photo of our kids together in his dorm room, the girls both looking at Caleb, Trigger in his lap, listening intently to him while Seth bumps a basketball, volleyball style.  A little slice of our new normal.

At first I missed Caleb so much.  Every little thing reminded me of him.  The juice bottle in the refrigerator never seemed to get empty without him home to drink it and the cereal wasn't being eaten at 10:30 at night anymore.  We felt his absence in so many ways.   Our house, with five of us in it, seemed like it had so many fewer people in it than when we were Six.  I decided that three kids was far less than four had been.

But now we are in a rhythm without him.  I hate to even write that, but it seems to be true.  Perhaps it helps that these schools this year and the routines we are in are all new to us, we haven't had Caleb with us in this season before and so we can carry on as if missing this person were no big deal.

I have more thoughts about sending this boy off on his own... but they will come later.  :-)