Turn and Face the Change

"Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes
Pretty soon now you're going to get old
going to get a little older,
Time may change me,
But I can't trace time...


I woke up with those lyrics from the David Bowie song Changes, running through my head. Today is Change, part 2.

My oldest is home for three weeks. He attends college 630 miles away in Cincinnati, Ohio.
We had a rare evening alone, and sat around our dinner table talking for over an hour. Those of you with teenagers/young adults know that an hour is a long time to engage him in one-on-one conversation.

We both admitted that we are looking forward to, and at the same time, dreading the upcoming year. I've always thought of September,(and now August), as the New Year. From the time I was a kid, the start of a new school year was a time to take stock, set goals, and begin again.

This "New Year-School Year" we will all reach some major milestones. My oldest begins his senior, and last year of college. My second born will be a senior in high school and my baby will complete her last year of middle school. And me? I turn the big 5-0.

Oh, I am dreading the start of the school year. Once we jump on that train it's going to travel like a bullet, building momentum as we speed through the next nine

months until we reach these milestones.

One more year of my oldest coming home for holidays and home cooking, one more year of my second born greeting me with his big hugs and sweet smile, one more year of pretending my baby is not really a true teenager.

Getting older is not as scary as realizing that I will soon have to let another one of my chicks leave the nest to college and watch the oldest fly away for good- into the real world.

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes...

Goodbye Harry...

Unless you've been under a rock, the last Harry Potter movie has been released.

I have been both eagerly anticipating and dreading the end of this magical tale because it's not just goodbye to the series, but a lingering goodbye to my son's childhood.

Harry and Scott grew up together. When Harry discovered he was a wizard, he and my son were the same tender age. We anticipated each new book's summer release as eagerly as Harry awaited his return to Hogwarts School.

When his brother turned six, Scott could not wait to introduce him to Harry, Ron and Hermione. Each morning, Scott would read aloud to his brother as we traveled to school. I enjoyed the read aloud almost as much as his brother.

We had to share "Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince." Scott would keep the book with him during the day, and I would read it at night after he went to bed. When he finally discovered I was reading it too, he made me promise not to read past him. I got so caught up in the story that I finished the book three days ahead of him and never breathed a word.

We have always gone to see the Harry Potter movies together. When Scott went away to college, we planned our premiere of the each movie to coincide with his visit home.

It's fitting that Harry's final chapter is coming two weeks after Scott turned 21. They both reached the end of childhood together.