Friday, April 12, 2013

Good-by

I picked up our son Gil on Tuesday afternoon.  I had tons of questions and concerns about how he had finished his time in Seattle, and about the details of his Thailand teaching program. I felt like I was a nosey mother, but I needed to know some of these things.  

As he answered my questions, I was assured he had thought this all through and would be as OK as he could be.  Over the years I have come to expect him to have a last minute disaster.  This time, it has been so-far-so-good with only a few small problems that he handled smoothly.


Gil, aka Joko, and Merikay
I wanted a couple of pictures of us.



These two pictures were taken with different cameras. Gil did have a bit of a sunburn and his face was red. On the lower picture I tried to color balance a bit.

Before he came home I asked him to send me a list of his favorite childhood dinners so I could make them for him.  It has been fun to recreate foods that I haven't made for years.  Not the healthiest meals, not gourmet, but family comfort "Mom food."


We did some shopping. 
I bought him some new clean socks.

We showed him the Alfa and shared some of our plans.

We just spent some time together. Just hanging out.

On Wednesday and Thursday evenings we played some three handed Sheepshead, a favorite card game from our years in Wisconsin. Gil was the winner on Wednesday, and Craig on Thursday. I found it hard to concentrate, but enjoyed our time together.

Friday came too soon.  It takes about an hour to drive to the San Francisco airport from our house. Traffic was lighter than usual and we talked about how green everything was, and what a beautiful day it turned out to be.


 Craig dropped us off with Gil's luggage and went to park the car. In the last few months he has gotten rid of everything he owned except for what fit into his two bags and a backpack.

Storage was not an option.









The International terminal was strangely uncrowded. There were no long lines at the check-in desks, and all went quickly without a hitch.

We all walked together toward the security check in area, and when we got to the hallway that led to the parking area we said our last good-bys.  

It was hard to watch him walk away.








A final wave, and then he was gone.  Off to Thailand!



Gil's passion is making videos.  This is how he saw the last few days. 

13 comments:

  1. Merikay, I understand your "parenting" feelings. Our daughter that lives in CA for the last 20 years has been a gaping hole in our family for such a long time. Now that we are fulltiming, we have the opportunity to be with her often. That will never make up for the years we missed with her. But....it helps. Our children are the diamonds in our " rings " ....the exclamation points in our lives.....I understand your feelings and hurt for you as you accept the reality that your son is following his dream.....

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  2. no matter how old they get it is still hard to say 'so long'..we wish your son well on his new adventure!

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  3. Sorry your son leaving for Thailand, but what a exciting adventure for him. I know you're sad this week-end. Maybe you need to clean out a closet or throw some stuff away to cheer you up! ha ha.

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  4. Your Son has a wonderful blog, a fantastic video talent, and your sense of humor.

    We have a son 1/2 the way around the world also, and understand those feelings...

    Why not put him on your "blogs I follow" list? Then we can follow along easily, after checking your blog ?

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  5. Nothing much to say from here so I am sending a blogger buddy hug your way.

    When do you leave on your trip.....isn't it soon? I know we will just miss you at The Grand Canyon. Have fun packing!

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  6. Thank you so much for sharing him with us. Wow, imagine all your worldly possessions contained into just 3 bags! It was also fun to see the tour of the Alfa. You & Craig will miss him, but what an adventure he has ahead of him. You've obviously done right by teaching him how to live life! Today's technology sure helps too as he can keep in touch easier & you get to follow him on his blog as he can on yours. It's all good.

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  7. I don't think I have ever seen a father and son that looked more alike!! Sending you BIG ((HUGS)) as I know you will be missing Gil even as you support him in following his dream. Wishing the best for all of you.

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  8. I wish you all the best. Sending you a hug.

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  9. Sitting here in the Singapore Airport reading your blog. So far, so good, although I'm not actually there yet.

    Thanks for hosting me these last few days (and 42 years before that)! I'll send you an e-mail once I'm settled in.

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  10. Exciting and kind of scary all at the same time!...wishing him the best!

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  11. We raise our children to follow their dreams but as mothers we want them to stay close to the nest. It is so hard to watch them go. Sending you hugs from another Mom who worries about her son also.

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  12. Were I you, the thing I would wonder is how I even had a 43-year-old son?

    Personally, I feel like I'm about 19 years old. I've got kids older than your son. How did that happen?

    Be happy for him. He seems happy for you two.

    I enjoyed seeing you guys on video and hearing your voices.

    I've been reading for a long time, but just not commenting. LG

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