Any of you with children of your own, know the drill. You work hard to teach the young ones to make good choices and prepare them to make the tough ones. When they are young you play a VERY active role in that process. As they mature you (some times reluctantly) have to step back and let them flap their wings and eventually fly. I have heard stories that sometimes parents need to push them out of the nest–I have been blessed to not have this problem so far.
My two oldest boys are currently attending Universities.  Jordan is majoring in Accounting at Brigham Young University;  Brandon is majoring in Biology with an emphasis in Pre-dentistry at Pittsburg State University. Each is married.  My daughters-in-law are wonderful ladies.
A short time ago, Jordan went through the process of securing an internship for this next summer. He had many interviews with large accounting firms in Portland, Oregon. After much effort, he was offered a position. He is excited, and I am very proud of him. He has worked hard to be prepared for this opportunity. (As an aside, speaking as one trained in a medical profession, I like numbers, but not enough to making a living on them. I am very thankful for those that do!!) He is planning on continuing his education to receive a Masters in Accounting.
Brandon has been working towards securing a position in a class at Dental School. He took the DAT (admissions test), interviewed at multiple schools, and re-interviewed at a few more. He has worked hard in his chosen field to be ready for dental school. Today he received word that he has been accepted at three schools–University of Nebraska (at Lincoln), University of Oklahoma (at Oklahoma City),  and the University of Colorado (at Denver). He is thrilled and I am very proud of him.
I have three other children in various stages of their lives. I will share experiences about them in other posts. I love each of them too.
It is an honor to be a part of the lives of these two young men. They make me proud and give me hope for the future. This weekend I met a very pleasant lady on Iron Mountain, near San Diego, California. She made an interesting comment. She said that people talk about hope.  We all have a desire for a great future. We hope for it. In fact, people display that hope by sending out Christmas cards and having babies.Â
I have so much to be thankful for. I have hope for the future!!