No longer an empty-nester

Things have changed since I embarked on my new life as an empty-nester this time last year.

Last year, Katie had just started college, Joe was returning for his senior year, and Ben was out in the working world. After a busy summer with two kids around, it was suddenly just me and the dog. I stood in the quiet house and cried. But pretty quickly, I adjusted to the rhythm of life on my own, just as people said I would.

This year, as I drove Katie back to Brandeis (on Monday), she remarked on how it was so different from last year. She had been nervous, and I was, well, I was trying not to freak out. On Monday, she was so excited that she was practically jumping up and down in her seat. I shared her excitement – it felt like I was going back to school – and I also knew that I would not sink through a hole in the floor when I went home without her, although I already miss her.

People had also said – as I well knew – that they come back, sometimes to stay.

The two youngest did, of course, come back for the summer, and now it turns out I will have company for the whole year.

Having gotten a job as Youth Initiatives Coordinator at the American Cancer Society's regional office in nearby Holyoke, Joe will be living at home.

We all know how hard it is to find work, and I am so proud of him for finding this very meaningful job. He took the terrible experience he had with my illness and turned it around so that he can use what he learned to help others.

While he's home, I expect him to continue helping me with all of my stupid computer questions.