pre-empty nest syndrome

The time has come, the time is now ... after twenty-six years of "meet the teacher" days, scouring Walmart, Target, or Office Depot for back-to-school deals, and hitting the mall school shoe shopping, this mama bird is facing a soon-to-be empty nest. I walked through CVS today, tears brimming as I eyed all the cute lunch boxes, pencil packs, and neat stacks of notebooks. It really CANNOT be possible--seriously, where did the years go--where did the little ones go? No more class volunteering, no more parent-teacher conferences, no more hours at the kitchen table doing homework or reviewing for tests (okay--that part won't be so bad).
Rob is dancing--literally! He reminds me of how long we've waited for this and all the fun we are going to have, just the two of us. Hmmm ... I guess its possible. I do trust God with the future and I know it will be good, it's just that it's an unknown and trusting the unknowns are sometimes hard when it involves people I love. Maybe "Mama Bird" is not a good analogy 'cause Mama birds push their little ones out of the nest. Sure, the young-'uns need to be independent, to fly, and that's part of my job but someone forgot to tell my heart.
IGBOK--It's gonna be okay. God has promised that as I trust him with all my heart and lean not on my own understanding, acknowledging him in all my ways, he will direct my paths-- in, out, around, before, and after the empty nest.