I am coming up to a lovely long weekend, an October celebration.  When the kids were younger, we sometimes went camping on this long “Columbus Day” weekend, up to the cold woods of the White Mountains, to say goodbye to the summer with one last weekend of fires and s’mores and barbecue.

This year, to our surprise, the kids all expressed a desire to go back up there once again. To huddle in the cold, to carve a pumpkin by firelight, to settle into winter with a final hurrah at our favorite campground.  In spite of my strong dislike for cold and dark, Paul and I were thrilled with the idea. It has become a rarity for all five of us to find ourselves free to vacation together, even for a weekend.  So we made the reservations, organized the tents, planned the meals.

Now that the weekend is here, though, it turns out that one lone “chick” will be unable to join us.  Matt is a responsible and hardworking young man, and he needs to be at his job this weekend.  “It’s a popular weekend off.”, he explained, “and a lot of people already took it.”   So he will go in, make the coffee and fill the need.

I’m so sad that he won’t be with us!  His absence will leave a big old 6 foot 3 inch hole in the adventure. Without his voice, the harmonies will somehow fall flat.

I so wanted to have all of my kids around me for a weekend!!

But I won’t moan or complain or make demands.

This is the man that I wanted my boy to become. Responsible, unselfish, adult.  He has a job, and he will do it.  He understands the value of even having a job, at his age, in this economy.  But more than that, he understands that what he has committed to do, he must do well.

I am going to miss him SO much!  But I am proud of him.

For once, two thirds will have to be enough for me.