The next five weeks is going to be a challenge. We have three graduations (one high school, two college), regional & state track meets, a trip to NJ, one daughter finishing her second year at college and then heading to Ireland for a month, as well as all the “normal” stuff that we do in our Hectic family. There are going to be many hours on the road, lots of travel arrangements, and transportation of stuff from one part of the country to another. At the end of all that, I’m going to ride in the Bike Across Kansas with one of my daughters, so I’m supposed to be training. I’d love to say that I am training, but the sporadic nature of that preparation doesn’t lend itself to the phrase “I am”. That changes tomorrow…and will also be the topic of another blog post.

But right now, I’m sitting in the Forum of Buena Vista University in Storm Lake, IA waiting for one of my daughters. My wife, youngest son, and I traveled the 7 hours here to Storm Lake to attend the fourth Scholars Dinner that my daughter was invited to. BVU does a great job in honoring their academic all-stars, and the Scholar’s Dinner is the highlight of that experience. The best and brightest at this tough university gather in one room to celebrate success in their academic endeavors.

It’s funny how different the universities are where my kids have gone to school. As a Notre Dame undergraduate, I knew several of my professors really well, but I’m not sure my parents ever did anything other than talk to one or two for a couple of minutes. They definitely didn’t forge any lasting friendships. When my oldest daughter graduated from Notre Dame, I had the opportunity to meet her Yearbook supervisor/boss, and several of her professors. It was obvious who she had solid relationships with, and I felt honored to talk to them for a couple of minutes, but like my parents, I’m didn’t have a chance to really interact much with this folks who were so influential in my daughter’s education.

With twins in college, their experiences could not have been any different. One goes to the University of Colorado – Boulder, and she’s had a great experience there. She loves what she’s studied and has set herself up for a really bright future. I’ve met several of her coworkers at the Rec Center (she’s a manager there) and even met her teammates on a couple of her competitive volleyball teams. Unfortunately, I haven’t had the chance to meet any of the professors or instructors who have shaped her undergraduate experience. On one level that bothers me, but on another it’s ok. This is her journey, and I’m never going to know the entire path.

In contrast though is Buena Vista University. With just over 2,500 students, BVU really strives to have faculty and students interact outside the classroom. Since they’re in a small town, the students have plenty of opportunities to interact with the community members, so that increases the chances to see professors and instructors outside of classes. My daughter has had the fortune to attend a church with two of her Spanish professors, and has created really strong relationships with both of them as well as several other members of the faculty and staff. When we first looked at BVU, we were welcomed here as family and that tradition has continued. At last night’s dinner, I had no reservations in walking up to several faculty members and talking to them. This was my wife’s first visit her for the Scholar’s dinner, but she too was greeted as an old friend. And it’s not just an act. I’ve communicated with several of these folks via e-mail and phone for odd things. I even asked one for a recommendation for a bakery so I could send a cake for my daughter’s 21st birthday. Her recommendation was spot on when she said that the cookie bouquet from the local bakery would be a bigger hit. She even commented that my daughter choose cookies over cake at the numerous events that they had attended. Talk about knowing the students!

As this phase of my twin daughters’ education ends, I’m really thankful that we’ve had the strength to let them choose their own paths. It’s meant that we have kids scattered through three time zones for college right now. It’s meant lots of hours traveling, having to deal with triumphs and failures by phone. It’s meant relying on Skype and Facetime to see their faces. It’s meant juggling being two places at once (sometimes more) on lots of occasions.

Yet despite all that, it’s meant that our kids have had the opportunity to follow their dreams. It’s meant they have been able to explore opportunities that terrify me. It’s meant month-long stays in Belize, Chile, Argentina, England, and Ireland. It’s meant finding out how to ship things overseas and all the hassles that entails. It’s meant wondering what they were doing, and getting calls or texts at odd hours finding out they were doing things that I probably didn’t want to know about.

But through it all, I strongly believe that my kids have seized the opportunities that they’ve had presented to them. They’ve learned to deal with adversity. To manage their time, energy, friendships, and budgets. They’ve learned that when you work hard, it pays off.

And most of all, they’ve learned that life is full of compromises, that things happen for a reason, and that life is what you make of it.

So despite the sleepless nights, the pangs of missing them (pretty much every night), and the wonder at how they do it all…I’m so glad that we were able to let them follow their dreams.

As we sit on the dock, ready for their ships to sail into their next great adventures, I’m anxious to see what those new adventures will be.