Land of Oz

There we were, The Land of Oz.

My first thought was, where are the donkeys that carry the supplies up this hill?

Primitive but peaceful.  Rustic but L.L. Beanish.  Not where the stars come.

But damn, this place is on the side of a mountain.  I am not kidding.  The kind of inclines that when you get out of your car, the doors want to shut.

We find the office and off we go.

We sit down for a little "question and answer period".

For the second time this year, I was very proud of my son and they way he was handling himself.  First is when he lost by one point at the state championship match and then at this very moment. 

Across the hall there was a "meeting" in session.  He said to me, "you know I am going to have to stand up and say "My name is Button".  He shook his head looked down.  I knew what he was thinking,  he should be in college introducing himself.

"Button, by the time you are done with this, a group of kids will have flunked out and you will get their spot...don't worry about it."

And then, there was a chance for us to ask questions.  First question "button" asks, "can I go running here?"

I swear, this man behind the desk looked at him with enormous eyes and says, "running, on your feet?"

I know he was looking to see if the "button" had hoofs and was part Billy Goat Gruff.  There is no way you can run at this place and if you can, you are an Olympian.

And then we walked to the car to get his bags.  Group hug.  And then, Walker patted him on his back and said, "you've got this".  I thought I was going to melt, melt, melt. 

I did not want to fall apart.  I too thought we would be dropping him off at college but we were not.  I guess it doesn't really matter how you get there as long as you get where you need to go. 

I got in the car and we left.  It was at that moment that I was so grateful to have my husband.  He wasn't there but he was there in spirit.  Many parents do this alone. Just a mom or just a dad.  Sometimes it is grandparents.  But I knew when I got to the bottom of the mountain and my ears had popped and there was a signal again, I could talk to my husband.

I was so proud of "button"  for wanting to do the right thing and sad too.  And, honestly, as hopeful as I was, I just knew this was only the beginning.

And off we drove.  Some where on a mountainside, my "button" is growing and doing what he needs to do and it is killing me that I cannot help and I don't know what is going on. 

But that is part of it. 

In the end, it was about Dorothy and what she was willing to do to get home.  I pray it happens for him too.