"As long as I have my bow and my passport, I'm good. Those are the important things." This is one of the last things our 16-year-old told me before we hugged him goodbye at the Philadelphia International Airport a few hours ago.
Tonight he and his orchestra are flying to Heathrow and then Brussels for a 10-day concert tour of Europe. He's never been off the North American continent. For our family, flying to Europe is a Very Big Deal, something my husband never has done and something I last did a quarter-century ago. This is why we showed up at Terminal A nearly five hours before his flight was scheduled to take off.
I surprised myself by bursting into tears of worry and joy right before my husband and I left Gabriel with his orchestra friends at the British Airways check-in area. (Thankfully he didn't see me do this).
We had taken him to St. Gabriel's Parish in Norwood, Pennsylvania for a 4:30 Vigil Mass before driving north on I-95 to the airport. The church is about a 10-minute drive away and my friend Michelle suggested it would be a great send off to ask his patron saint and namesake for prayers.
The Mass was lovely; a mandolin played from the choir loft and the visiting homilist, Father Joseph Bongard, Vice Rector of the Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary, reminded us that ours is a virbrant faith; that Christ is not Something out there in the cosmos, but rather a Someone who enters into the details of each human life and journeys with us.
God bless you son on this wonderful adventure.
I surprised myself by bursting into tears of worry and joy right before my husband and I left Gabriel with his orchestra friends at the British Airways check-in area. (Thankfully he didn't see me do this).
We had taken him to St. Gabriel's Parish in Norwood, Pennsylvania for a 4:30 Vigil Mass before driving north on I-95 to the airport. The church is about a 10-minute drive away and my friend Michelle suggested it would be a great send off to ask his patron saint and namesake for prayers.The Mass was lovely; a mandolin played from the choir loft and the visiting homilist, Father Joseph Bongard, Vice Rector of the Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary, reminded us that ours is a virbrant faith; that Christ is not Something out there in the cosmos, but rather a Someone who enters into the details of each human life and journeys with us.
God bless you son on this wonderful adventure.
what a journey--for ALL of you! There are many more ways to be connected than there were even 25 years ago. Maybe that's a good thing. Maybe not so much. Keep your heart open!
ReplyDeleteThanks! Yes, we messaged over facebook while he was on the layover in Heathrow on the way to Brussels.
DeleteWhat a beautiful send off. I would be crying too! Sending your oldest to Europe is pretty high on the list of parental accomplishments. I've never been either. I'm sure he'll have a lot of stories to tell.
ReplyDeleteHow exciting! I would definitely have cried to...as a matter of fact...tears came as I read your post. Although my children have never flown off to Europe....I was a blubbering mess when I sent my son off to camp for the first time. It was rough...for me. Mothers carry a special burden that way. What a wonderful experience for him.
ReplyDelete