Our daughter Alyssa will graduate from high school next year and most likely will move away to attend college. Alyssa is extremely bright, and she’s one of the kindest people I’ve ever met. My wife, Marjorie, and I are excited about this next stage of her life, and we are honored that she wants to visit several college campuses with us this summer.
After Alyssa leaves, our household will shrink again, and Nicholas will be our only child at home. At that same time, Nicholas will be heading to high school, which means he will thankfully be with us for a few more years. But after he’s gone to college, Marjorie and I will officially be empty nesters.
Our 20th wedding anniversary is coming up quickly. When I look back on the past 20 years, it’s amazing to see where life has taken us and to consider the memories we’ve made together as a family. It makes me wonder what the next 20 years will hold for us.
Thinking about the next chapter of our lives, I am certain of only two things. One is that I will strive to continue playing a fundamental part in the Dellutri Law Group’s growth. The other is that I will keep doing my best to take care of my family. When Marjorie and I were younger, we had a vision of what our life might look like after all the kids moved out of the house. But now that we are entering that phase of life, we aren’t so sure anymore.
While Marjorie and I are cruising through life on our familiar road, it feels as though our kids have veered off to start their own journeys down separate highways. To tell you the truth, it’s a little jarring. Our oldest daughter is a nurse practitioner, married, with a child of her own. Our second is finishing his college degree and moving into post-college life. Our third will enter college soon, and the last will begin his high school years.
We used to think life as empty nesters would allow us to go on more adventures while the kids were off creating memories of their own. However, I’m no longer sure who we are without our kids, as keeping them close has always been one of our top priorities. I’m not saying the kids are going to leave us in the dust. They have individual lives to make for themselves. But how can Marjorie and I maintain that closeness, family time, and daily communication with the kids when they are busy on their own paths?
What I’ve realized is that the next big adventure in my life is relearning who the Dellutris are as a family in the midst of changing seasons. The older I get, the less responsibility I have when it comes to raising the kids, but all I want to do is pull back and savor the time spent with them. In today’s world, we are easily connected by social media, but I don’t want to watch my kids’ lives develop over Facebook or Instagram. I want to be a part of their lives.
It’s funny to realize that Marjorie and I never anticipated how we would feel during this time in our lives. And you know what? We don’t know what the next 20 years will hold. But we do know this: We want our lives to be centered around our kids, and we are so excited to watch them on their roads as they grow into the men and women they were destined to become.
