Letting Him Go

Tomorrow, my oldest son who just crossed over into boy scouts will be going off to camp with his troop for the first time. Now, a normal Mother would be a little teary eyed and stressed at the idea of her little boy going off out into the woods and leaving the umbrella of parental supervision. A normal Mom may feel anxiety at the thought of sending her son alone into the wild blue yonder with just a change of clothes, a water bottle and a mess kit. Some Moms may even try to meet their child for a meal during the camping event just to make sure he is okay. But no, not this Mom. Nope, this Mom has been waiting for this glorious day. Because this Mom HATES camping. And if he can go alone, then ALLELUIA! This Mom has something to celebrate! No more camping! Ever! Again! Well, at least for another three years. Then I get to start all over with son #2. Sigh.

But for now, I am excited. At least I was excited. Then, about an hour ago, I realized that my son has to be at the church tomorrow at 6:00 and we have not packed anything. In fact, I do not even know the details of the trip. You see, once the child crossed over from cub to boy, I handed over all scouting duties to my husband. I figured it was time for Mom to step down and Dad to step in- unless they wanted to do a scrapbooking or cake decorating merit badge. But something tells me they would rather look at bugs and play with bows and arrows. Anyhow, Dad has taken over. And Dad is about as organized as my son’s sock drawer. So, it should have been no surprise to me at all when he announced (just 55 minutes ago) he had a concert tomorrow night- the night our son needed to be at church for camping. And that our son had no hiking shoes. Or backpack. You can imagine the less than heavenly thoughts I had for my husband at that moment. Sigh.

So, I have decided to go over all the stuff I need to help my son get together for tomorrow evening. And, while going over the checklist, anxiety started to creep in. Is he ready for this? Will he be okay? Does he know what to do if he gets a blister? Or if he is attacked by a wild animal in the middle of the night?!?! What am I thinking? Can I really send him out there? Will he make it back to me in one piece?

After my minor heart attack, I went and poured myself a glass of wine and sat down at the computer. I am working on a project for our next youth group gathering. It’s a video about the awesomeness of Mary. As I stared at the screen, I was instantly reminded of what she was asked to do. Not only did God ask her to be the Mother of the Word Incarnate, but he also asked her to let him go. She had to let him go do what he needed to do. And that meant he needed to die. I cannot even imagine what that was like for her. I could not have done what she did- watch her son suffer and die on that day when the earth stood still. I would have interfered at every turn. I would have behaved like a lunatic most of that day. But our Mother Mary did not. She was his rock. She supported him and comforted him in every possible moment of that impossible day. She let him go and conquer the world. Mary’s role in our Lord’s life is incredible. There are no words to describe how great of a Mother she was to him.

So, if Mary can do what she did, then I guess I can let my son go camping without me. He is a good kid with a good head on his shoulders. And although he has inherited his father’s organizational skills, he seems prepared. He is excited for the new adventure. How lame would it be for his “Mommy” to tag along? Okay- you got me. I wasn’t even entertaining that idea! But really, he is going to have to be out there on his own at some point. He is going to have to get his feet wet somehow. Going out into the wild blue yonder with his boy scout troop is probably a good thing. Maybe he will find something to conquer. I think I will go pour another glass of wine. Sigh.