What do air mattresses and lumpy sofas have to do with joy?

When our son moved out to go to college many years ago we “happily” moved him into his first apartment.
Happy is in ” ” because I pretended to be happy,
but in reality I was scared to death.
For him, for me, for the changes that our family was going through.

We soon got to enjoy the life of parents with kids in college and that meant some trips
down to see him. Of course, we didn’t stay in a hotel but we stayed with him at
his place.

That’s where I had my first experience with an air mattress.

The plan that first night was that the hubs and I would sleep all cozy on the air
mattress, because we wanted him to have his first night in HIS bed.

Ya. Well, this is one time mom will admit she had a bad idea.

Oh, yes, #1 son slept in his bed.

And mom and dad fitfully tossed turned, moved to couches and chairs
trying to get our weary bones comfortable. Didn’t happen. I think
we finally fell asleep, and hubs was on the air mattress while
I passed out on the lumpy couch.

You would have thought we would have learned our lesson, but every trip
we took down to see him was the same scenario. Except, the next
trip add the puppy. Yes, son decided he wanted a puppy to keep
him company while going to college.

So the next time we slept over, we had the air mattress, lumpy
couch and bouncy wiener dog.

But, despite the lack of sleep, sore backs, and hairy jammies
we still treasure those moments with pure joy.

They were times that solidified the fact that our son was growing
up. And despite sometimes our worry, fretting and fears…he was
surviving on his own.

Thankfully, we can say he did a good job of growing up into
the man we always hoped he would be. He married in 2011 and
gave us our first grand child in 2013.

So, what does the air mattress and lumpy sofa have to do with joy?

Well, Joy #1 was seeing our son evolve into a man.
Joy #2 was seeing us evolve as parents.
Joy #3 was being able to reminisce about those sleepovers because
we are now getting ready for a sleepover of a different kind.

Tonight, my husband and I embark on a new adventure as Empty Nest
parents. That is the adventure and joy of being an Empty Nest
grand parent…and tonight is the first sleep over with our
6 month old grand son.

We don’t know what the night will hold, if he will be able
to sleep well in a different environment. But, even if we
end up not sleeping well, crashed on the sofa (this one
is NOT lumpy) we have the JOY of experiencing something
new that only other grand parents can know the feeling!
My heart is so full of gratitude today that I’m about to
burst!

So, hugs and feathers to you all while this Meme gets
ready for her little cupcake!

Hugs and feathers from the nest~~()~~

Kim Steadman is the COOP (Chief Online Operating Person) for The Re-Feathered Nest. A place of encouragement for moms entering the Empty Nest Zone who find they need to RePurpose and ReDesign their lives now that the kids have flown the coop. Kim can be found on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TheRefeatheredNest and on Google+ at +Kim.