Ready or not life moves on. Last night we went to the choir concert at Acton Middle School. Our youngest son sang a solo of the Beatle’s classic, “Let it Be.” I marveled at his obvious musical ability. He and his brothers are no doubt thankful that they inherited their mother’s musical abilities. Sometime during that concert it hit me. That event was the last middle school activity that I will attend. Mitchell moves on to high school status next year at Granbury’s 9th Grade Center. It reminded me of the day I dropped him off for his first day in elementary school. I knew then that would be the third and final go around of such a milestone.

A few hours before the concert last night Daniel received some correspondence in the mail that sealed his decision regarding college plans for next fall. We will send a second child off for university studies. We can go on and fix the glass on the bedroom that has been broken repeatedly by stray basketballs. Our weekly grocery bill will be reduced somewhat. But I am really not looking forward to seeing an empty place where his car is normally parked when August rolls around in a few months. I still remember coming home one night after Randall had been gone for about 10 days the year he started to college. It occurred to me that night that he was not at camp. He had left the nest. I was a grouch for several days after coming to that stunning realization.

A few moments before Daniel got home to read the letter that sealed his college decision I received a phone call from Randall. He is staying in Abilene this summer taking two summer sessions of Spanish and working on campus. Randall is a senior in college now. As he approaches the last stretch of his undergraduate studies, I am aware of a greater sense of depth and maturity in his demeanor. If he ends up going to law school and becoming an attorney, I might actually feel sorry for the criminal if Randall is doing the prosecuting. Randall can plow over someone with his remarkable analytical abilities and be so nice about it in the process.

What does a father think as life marches on? There is a twofold answer to that question actually. I am more grateful today than I have ever been before to the people who have been good to my kids along the way. I will always be indebted to a handful of public school teachers who loved them and challenged them. A few key friends at church have really been good to the boys at every juncture of their lives. In particular, I appreciate the people who have helped the boys when they were at a crossroads in life.

Kids need adults in their lives who will believe in them and are instillers of confidence. My boys have encountered such individuals repeatedly. Kids need adults who are willing to see beyond their immature behavior and tap into to the potential that exists. Again my boys have been blessed with such people. Teenagers and young adults in particular are need of people who can assist them in finding some life direction. Still again my crew has been most fortunate.

What does a father think as life marches on? A father feels indebted to those who helped his own children. He knows there are kids coming up who need the kind of guidance that I just listed above. I will continue to teach middle school kids in a Sunday school context. I will continue to attend a couple of weeks of church camp every Summer. And I will search for those lost puppy kiddos, because I don’t want them to miss out. Being a father is a state of being that never ends.

Yesterday was eventful aroud the Knox Manor. New chapters are about to be written. I will get calls from two universities from two boys instead of just one. The third one will be getting a driving permit before I can blink. And I can only hope that someday they will show up with a really nice girl some weekend in Granbury. I have to remind myself that it really will happen someday, because ready or not life marches on.