I only have five more school lunches to make

And my daughter, the “baby” of the family, graduates from high school, marking the close of a major chapter in my life.

And then late this summer she will leave Arizona and join her middle brother at the same university he attends in Washington state. They are very close and I feel good that she will have him (and his boyfriend of almost 2 years) near by.

Not only will this be the first time in 23 years that my husband and I will not have kids in the house, but it will also be the first time we don’t have kids in the same state. Our oldest son joined the Peace Corps and left for the Ukraine in March.

I cannot say that I am worried about the empty nest thing or not having enough to do or feeling that my life has no meaning anymore. My husband and I have been talking about and planning for this new phase of our life for a very long time. My biggest worry is finding enough time to do all the things we have planned.

Yes, there is a tinge of sadness that this very wonderful part of our lives is drawing to a close, but there is also a lot of pride that we have successfully raised three independent, hard-working kids with so much promise and so much enthusiasm, and so much to contribute to society.