It’s certainly understandable. “Old folks,” like myself, tend to forget about all the trials and errors, missteps, and miscues navigating the adult world. We’ve learned – hopefully – from our mistakes. Nothing, at first, seems easy. Then you begin to find yourself and your place in the world, and, before too long, you’ve become a “grown-up.” Or, for many of us – again, myself included – you play the part of an adult even though you’ve never truly grown up.

Making a new place into your own home.

We spent the next three weeks helping Zach move back to Atlanta and get situated into a new apartment. It was as exhausting and, at times, frustrating for us as it was for him. The “young adult world” has significantly changed since I was in my twenties. It was a learning experience for all of us.

As parents, we know that Zach has the confidence and common sense to make good “adult” decisions. We just hope he continues to lean on us when those inevitable “bumps in the road” occur. (It’s still nice to be needed every so often.)

Now comes the next phase in Zach’s journey to adulthood.    

I’ve mentioned Nixie in several prior posts (see Someone to Watch Over Me), and anyone who follows me on Facebook knows that I frequently post pictures of Nixie. She was a six- to eight-month-old rescue from the West Tennessee Border Collie Rescue Group  who came into our home a little over ten years ago. When Nixie entered our lives, Vicki had lost her father and the year before we lost our first dog, Bailey. It was a difficult time for us back then, and Vicki referred to Nix as her “therapy dog.”

She brightened our world, and we’re glad we gave Nixie a home full of love. Emily and Zach grew up with Nixie, and Zach was the one who taught her to 
leap up and catch Frisbees. (She was very good at it.) I feel sad that neither 
Emily or Zach got to say goodbye to Nixie.

Losing Nix still hurts, but my anger has subsided (somewhat). I don’t want to feel sorry for myself and my family, but we have endured so much stress and strain the past few years that it’s just depressing.

I will miss my “shadow.” 

And so the journey continues….

  

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We’re obviously very proud of Zach and his accomplishments. It’s incredible how quickly four years have gone by (see I’m a Ramblin Wreck) and how grown up Zach has become. It was a wonderful weekend – as I posted to friends and family on Facebook – and a chance for all four of us to be together. Of course, my dad was there – once again – to see another grandchild graduate college.

So proud of our engineer.

With all of the emotion and a hectic schedule, it was nice to have to time to reflect and decompress. I spent several early mornings sitting on the back deck of our rental home (which was a cool little house with all the latest updates) to think back to my time as a college graduate. I honestly don’t remember much except bits and pieces of graduation day and the ceremony. I remember more about the family gathering my parents organized later that day. I do remember, however, a feeling of anticipation – along with nerves – at the idea of finally being out of school.

I think Zach has some of those same feelings, but he is such a stoic that he doesn’t really express himself. He just seems to move right along. I wonder if everything that our family endured over the past 5+ years – especially the last two years – including the sudden death of our family dog, Nixie, has caused Zach to remain inside of himself emotionally. It’s hard to know and, of course, he won’t talk about it. I do know that Nixie’s death hurt him as much as the rest of us.

So, the beginning of “graduation weekend” was somewhat bittersweet. As we arrived at McCamish Pavilion for the Saturday afternoon ceremony, everyone – including Zach – seemed to be caught up in the moment. It was a great, and quick, graduation ceremony, and a lot of fun to watch the jumbotron flash Zach’s name and his honors while his name was read out loud.

We’re so proud of everything our son has accomplished, and we know he’ll accomplish so much more as a “Hell of an Engineer!”

– – –

Health Update – My condition remains relatively the same. The only major issue I dealt with in the past six months was moving back to the branded chemotherapy drug (Gleevec). We had to argue with the insurance company about side-effects from the generic version that I had not had in more than three (3) years with the branded drug. The insurance company relented earlier this spring. I see my oncologist later in May for a three-month scan and check up. 

– – –

Emily Update – Many of you have asked how Emily is doing, and we appreciate the concern. As previously discussed, her cancer appears to be gone and she finished chemotherapy almost one year ago. She continues to deal with the ups and downs of recovery. Vicki and I remain patient and diligent as we help Emily regain her old “strength” – physically, mentally, and emotionally. It’s been a long process and we’ll be with Emily every step of the way.

Another proud day for the Billett Family.