And There they go, chasing their own stars

​Two nights ago, Elliott asked me if he could go down to the beach late at night to try to take in the Perseids meteor shower. Then he asked again last night.

My first thought was, dude, you're not old enough to be going to the beach late at night all alone. My second and welcome to reality thought was, oh wait, yes you are.

Then Elliott invited Ian to come along. And as challenging as the reality was accepting that I have young men and not boys on my hands these days, the grander reality that these young men like hanging out together was soothing.

And these two teenagers, late at night, wanting to go into the night chasing The Perseids? There are certainly more disturbing places for them to venture into.

I have to acknowledge they get that sense of excitement for the cosmos and much of all things nature from their mom. I mean, I love nature, but little gets me out of bed after dark to chase it!

Little gets me out of bed after dark period!! 😊

Post-divorce relationships can be challenging. Part of navigating that challenge for me is being able to see the beauty in my boys that never would have come without that relationship.

And I do see it.

I teach and preach and train a lot on the brain. And this idea that a young brain needs to develop in an environment of safety and love to give it the best chance to have a higher-level thinking brain that one day can dream and imagine and see beauty in all of it.

Another post-divorce challenge is you can come to believe you've messed your kids up. That they will never feel safe again. Then you hear them rustling around late at night - trying hard not to wake the old man - as they run off to the beach to chase shooting stars.

That rustling, rustling the old man invariably hears, it is comfort.

Because no matter the damage done, they are chasing their own shooting stars now. And if I'm being honest, they are doing it decades before I ever started imagining what chasing mine might look like.

I am thankful for their chase. I am thankful for the comfort that comes to me from that. And I pray every wish they pray on those shooting stars comes true.

Just like mine does every time I hear them sneak into the night to chase them.