With summer winding down and many children heading off to college, the author was reminded of this column, which he wrote in 2002.

“There is a Time for Everything”

Ecclesiastes 3:1

Forgive me if I take a slight turn from the subject matter usually found here, but certain events took place in our family that somehow cloud other topics. You see, our two oldest children just left for college, the youngest of them for the first time.

We dropped off Leah, our 18-year-old, on Wednesday, and Judson, our 20-year-old, left Friday.

Now, suddenly, the house is much quieter. The phone rings quite a bit less, there is no car pulling up at midnight (or later), and teenage laughter no longer splits the night air.

The place stays much cleaner, there is plenty of hot water and an always available shower. Our grocery bill has dropped along with the noise decibels.

I suppose we should be rejoicing!

But when we step into our house, the memories flood our thoughts. There is the bed that our son slept in all those years, when this was his home!

There we used to tuck him in with his favorite blanket. Over there are his Lego’s and his sleeping bag. His chess set is in the closet and his many books.

Out there is where he learned how to run and ride a bike and steer a tractor and drive a car.

How much he was woven into the fabric of our lives!

And Leah: Where have you gone?

There are the pictures you drew when you first started drawing.

Where is the little girl that loved to show her dad her new dress?

Who took away your pony tails?

How I loved your hugs!

I see you skipping along now, your hair and your dress bouncing up and down.

There we go riding bikes together, trying to miss the bumps.

How you trusted me!

How I loved to watch you laugh!

Over there is where we pulled sweet corn early in the mornings.

You counted the ears until you were big enough to carry a bucket.

Over there is where we went fishing, and back there is where we ate wild grapes in the fall. Do you remember Leah?

Such expressions as “You raised them for this” and “They’re only so many hours away” seem woefully inadequate.

For, indeed, an era in our lives has passed.

Our parenting has taken a giant step into the shadows, and its just beginning to sink in.

They will no longer “visit” and come home, but will now “come home to visit.”

Their world takes a huge step away from ours and will probably continue to move in that direction.

And so, Debra and I are left to contemplate our future, which is another topic altogether. But not without first looking back at the wonderful years God gave us with our two oldest.

How remarkable and exciting and rewarding they were! How grateful we are for the memories!

Our cup overflows.

P.S. If you happen to see Judson or Leah, will you tell them not to stay out too late?

Rex alphin is a farmer, businessman and contributing columnist for The Tidewater News. His e-mail address is rexalphin@aol.com.