Life threw me a curve ball, and I wasn’t ready for it. I knew a fast ball was coming, and I had my eyes set on it, but when it curved just at it was approaching the plate, I almost swung and missed.

Now before you start thinking I sound fairly intelligent about baseball, let me set the record straight. I don’t. I had to lie about playing softball just so I could play on the company co-ed softball team with Brad when we first met. Of course, that’s a story for another day! What little knowledge I have about baseball came from watching my fair share of games with my two boys who both started playing at t-ball age and played all the way through high school. I know the basics – three bases, three strikes, three outs, etc. I only know curve ball because it was consistently the pitch that gave my boys trouble, and I’d hear the debrief lessons Brad gave the boys after the game. I learned to dread the curve ball as much as they did.

By my estimate, as of today, we had five weeks left in the summer. Five weeks before Cameron would leave for Tarleton. Five weeks before Brad and I would have an empty nest. Five weeks before the next chapter of our lives would begin. Five weeks to spend with Cam – soaking up every minute of fun and family-time. But like I said, life threw me a curve ball. Cameron packed his suitcase, loaded up his truck, and left for the Dallas Cowboys training camp in downtown San Antonio at 5:30pm last night. He’ll be gone for five weeks . . . until the day he moves straight into the dorm at Tarleton. Let me just say this . . . it is NOT what I had planned for our last five weeks of our summer, but obviously God had something different in mind.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m beyond excited for Cameron. Working for the Cowboys is an awesome opportunity, and he’s going to do some major growing up in the weeks ahead. Plus, Logan will join him for the last two weeks of training camp, and they’ll love that time together. It really is a terrific transition for Cameron leaving home, it just wasn’t the transition I had planned or imagined.

And, to top it all off, Cameron had the audacity to act like he was all grown up. He didn’t need us to give him any advice, didn’t need us to be worried about him driving to downtown San Antonio by HIMSELF for the FIRST time, didn’t need us to remind him about safety issues, didn’t need us to remind him to make good choices, didn’t need us . . . didn’t need us . . . didn’t need us. Heck, he didn’t even need us to give him any money. He’d already gone to the bank and withdrawn some from his account. Are you getting the picture?! Boy, I sure did, and I didn’t like it one little bit. Part of it was his cocky attitude, but I’ll be honest, most of it was the pure, plain, and simple fact that he is growing up.

Where did the last 18 years go? That fast ball came zooming in straight at me, and at the last minute, I realized it. It wasn’t a fast ball; it was a wicked curve ball. I wanted to be hurt at his cocky attitude, sad he was leaving sooner than I wanted, and fearful about all that lies ahead for him. If I had, I would’ve swung and missed it! Praise God, I quickly realized something. Cameron could have shied away from this new (and somewhat scary) challenge. He could’ve clung to home and all that is comfortable and familiar. He could’ve relied on us rather than try to stand on his own two feet. He could’ve been too scared to venture out on his own and maybe even expereince failure. But, he didn’t! He made the right choice. He knew he could go confidently, because he wasn’t going alone. He was going with God. He has heard me remind him of the verse from Jeremiah 29:11 time and time again, “For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

So, I’ll take Cam’s cocky attitude and the confident trust He has in God. I’ll do exactly what Brad always told the boys to do when they were faced with a curve ball. Sit back, wait on it. It may look like it’s coming straight at you and it’s going to hit you, but it’s not. The ball is going to fall right into that sweet spot in the strike zone, and I’m going to sit back on it – wait on it, keep my eyes on it, and hit it out of the park . . . and all because God is my coach. “Let all that I am wait quietly before the Lord, for my hope is in Him.” Psalm 62:5 NLT.