October 17, 2020
We have always been a globe-trotting family. All of our kids flew overseas within their first few weeks of life. Our days and years have been filled with jet lag, airplanes, trains, donkey carts, buses, cars, boats, taxis, camels . . . You name the mode of transportation, and we have probably done it.
Travel, travel, travel . . .
We have also learned how to handle all kinds of travel challenges—cancelled flights, delayed flights, missed flights, no flights, and everything else in between.
Our kids have learned too.
We have learned to be flexible and adjust to just about anything that comes our way when it comes to travel.
Our four boys (yes, even our 7-year-old!) are well-traveled. They can navigate airports like the back of their hands. They are global nomads. Overseas travel is in their blood.
Why is it so Hard?
So, why is it so hard for me to put my boys on an airplane? Why it is so hard for me to release my kids to the other side of the world? Why do I go through the worry, fear, and stress of “letting go” of them every time?
You would think, by now, it wouldn’t affect me, wouldn’t bother me, wouldn’t phase me.
But, it does.
I should be used to this by now.
But, I’m not.
Here we go again.
Packing Up to Go
Today is yet another day of helping my adult son pack up and prepare to board the plane. He doesn’t have that far to go. He doesn’t have to cross continents. He’s staying in Europe. Only one country—France—will separate us. He doesn’t have to cross oceans—only the English Channel. He doesn’t have to be on multiple flights for 20 hours—only 4 1/2 hours total this time. He doesn’t have dreadfully long layovers—only 55 minutes in Amsterdam.
There have been days, weeks, months, and years when we have been separated by continents and large bodies of water. This geographical divide is much smaller.
So, what’s the problem?
The problem is that I will miss him.
Robert came back unexpectedly on March 18, 2020 when COVID-19 broke out across the world. He was “stuck” in the UK, and we didn’t know if we would be able to get him home before all the European airports closed down. It was stressful!
We finally got him home safely—just in the nick of time. The world was shaking with chaos, panic, and closed borders. We were thankful to have him back safe and sound in our home, back in the fold of our family of six.
Things We Enjoyed
We got to enjoy unexpectedly celebrating his 20th birthday with him—in quarantine. He got to enjoy unexpectedly celebrating his father’s birthday, his brother’s birthday, and several others scattered here and there.
Besides birthdays, much has happened since Robert arrived back home in March 2020. Our family survived 50 days of strict quarantine—we didn’t kill each other! Our kids survived online schooling for three months—we didn’t kill them! We moved into our new house by illegally crossing city borders. Robert had an emergency appendectomy in the public Spanish hospital and navigated cultural and linguistic barriers on his own. Robert made several trips to France with his father and his brothers to move our furniture and belongings to Spain. We enjoyed family vacation in France and Spain.
Yes, a lot has happened in these seven months—SEVEN!
That’s a long time for an adult child to come back home to live with his parents and little brothers, especially as a college student, used to independence and fun campus life.
None of us could have imagined—in our wildest nightmares—that this would last this long. We thought life would get back to normal in a matter of a few weeks. No! It’s now been seven months, and life is still not normal.
A New Normal—University Life
Robert’s university classes and soccer academy typically start back up mid-August. This year, however, nothing started in August. Nothing started in September. Nothing started in October.
His online courses began September 1, and a hybrid in-person/online course schedule is supposed to begin on November 7. Soccer training is also scheduled to begin that same day.
At least, that is the plan.
All students were required to return to campus before October 19 in order to complete a mandatory 2-week quarantine—in their dorm room.
This time, in addition to packing the usual sheets, towels, pillow, meds, toiletries, clothes, and shoes, we had to pack other things . . . face masks (lots of them), COVID-19 travel documents, toiletries for 2 weeks—enough to get him through his required 14-day quarantine in his dorm room.
I think that’s what makes me nervous—all the unknowns this time around.
Always Unknowns
There are always unknowns. We don’t know what tomorrow will bring. We can’t predict the future. We can’t see around the corner.
Unknowns. There are so many in life.
—The school doesn’t know for sure if in-person classes will begin. Numbers are spiking in the UK, and college campuses could shut down at any moment.
—Competitive soccer games have been cancelled in England until the new year. Will training and “friendly” games really begin in November?
—Robert has no idea if he can order groceries online to have delivered to his dorm. How will he eat for those two weeks? (Our son really likes to eat!)
— The school director told the students that if things continue to escalate, they may not be able to leave campus to return home for Christmas. When will we see Robert again?
Unknowns. Lots of them.
Tomorrow, in the early morning, when we take Robert to the airport to catch his 6 a.m. flight from Spain to England, we can’t even go inside the airport to help him carry his luggage and get checked in. Only ticketed passengers can enter through the sliding glass doors.
Unknowns. There are so many.
In life, there are always unknowns. Thankfully, God knows what tomorrow will bring. God can predict the future. God can see around the corner.
Tomorrow, on the airport curb, underneath the light of the moon and the stars, I will hug my son goodbye, kiss him on the cheek, and pray God’s blessing upon him. It will be one more opportunity—one more opportunity to love, one more opportunity to trust, one more opportunity to believe that God will take care of my son—on the other side of the world.
—THE CULTURAL STORY-WEAVER
LET’S WEAVE CULTURES!
What unknowns are you facing right now? How are you pushing through the fear and worry of tomorrow?
We invite you to tell us your own cultural stories and global adventures . . . as you engage with the world, breaking down barriers, building bridges, and “weaving cultures”! Write about them in the comment box below.
What a hard thing to have to do! This year has been filled with uncertainties and sadness, but thankfully, your little family in Spain and elsewhere has been weathering the storm, and will continue to do so. And there’s always Zoom. Can you imagine what it was like for our ancestors?
I am so thankful for Zoom, Skype, and Messenger. I don’t know what I’d do if I couldn’t see my son’s face and hear his voice through a screen. The UK just announced a new lockdown starting Thursday, so my son might be getting on a plane to come back home.