Trombone no more

I haven't taken any photos yet today but wanted to share these with you.
I actually had them loaded up on yesterday's post but didn't want to share this moment with bananas.

You know I am not really up for sharing lots of personal moments about my kids, nor their photos. First of all I don't want this to be "that kind of blog" and second of all I just don't wanna.

But some days, moments come along that I feel like I just have to share, like this one.

Four years ago, I took my little graduated 4th grader to the band open house afternoon at the middle school.
He, with sincere tone told the band instructor that he wanted to play the flute.
I, as his mom knows it was because that was one of the smallest instruments to carry around and therefore the least taxing on his extremely physically fit self??!!
She had his number and asked him to stand, pointing out how tall he was...and what long arms he had!
She then gave him a bit of a sideways glance with a twinkle in her eye and asked if he had considered trombone.
He gave her that classic sheepish shrug which could mean anything from yes to you are crazy.
She wrangled him into trying that mouth piece and confidently let him know that this instrument was meant for him and that she would see him after the summer for a great first year in band.

Fast forward 4 years.
Tuesday evening I loaded my cumberbund and bow tied child into the van to drive him to his last concert.

His LAST concert!!!

He has decided to pursue other things which will need his time but still benefit him the way I had hoped band would. (think discipline and order and responsibility...oh and a phenomenal group of people to hang out with)
As I got farther along down the road, I got more and more melancholy about this event. He is an excellent musician and has always vacillated between first and second chair...mainly due to some lack of gusto on his part. I hate for this time in his life to end, but also know that he is making good choices that I agree with.
I had packed my camera, which has been a rarity for me these many years when it has come to concert pictures.
At each red light along the road I made an adjustment to the camera so that I would be ready to take this series of shots that I suddenly began to crave, like a woman is want to crave chocolate.

He got out of the van and adjusted his fancy duds, which gave me a chance to get out on my side and head around to set up for my shot.
He gave me a bit of a "mom you aren't really standing in the school parking lot with that big old camera" look and headed off.
I planted my feet firmly, adjusted my grip and gave a big holler!
He stopped his hurried walk and turned around to see what I needed.
He grinned and shrugged me off when he saw that all I wanted was a picture.
Then he started running.


And my heart felt like it was gonna burst or explode with pride at this man child who is slowly but surely heading out of my life and heading more and more into his.


I felt another glimmer of pride as he disappeared through that door, knowing he was fully ready to tackle the concert of the evening.
Then I got all weepy over again because there is still so much I have to teach him, and help him to understand before he leaves through that dark doorway leading into the "real world".
Sigh!!!

I turned around to head back to my van and caught sight of another mom sitting in her van, having just dropped of her little cupcake too.
She was clapping and grinning from ear to ear and then she gave me a double thumbs up, proud that I had taken to that craving and fulfilled it for myself.
She was so happy for me, and so was I.


I love my kids, and that is all.