Last weekend, we got an unexpected phone call from Morrigan. Normally he can only call on Tuesdays and Thursdays. He was feeling depressed because he’d been told that, since it was so close to the holidays, it was possible – even probable – his paperwork wouldn’t get processed until January and he wouldn’t be home until then. He’d really been hoping to make it home by Thanksgiving, so this was tough for him. We talked him through it and eventually got off the phone. I wrote to friends and family about the update and asked them to send him lots more letters.

Tuesday Morrigan and I had our normal twice-weekly conversation. Then on Wednesday morning, Morrigan called while I was driving home from dropping off the boys at school. He’d gotten his departure date. He’d be coming home the following Monday. As in, tomorrow.

This weekend has been about prep. His old room had been converted into Jason’s bedroom and office, and half the house has been packed away into the garage in anticipation of the upcoming move. Some of those packed away items include the clothing Morrigan boxed away to receive after boot camp. Whoops! So there was a lot of shuffling and digging around and adjusting. But since we’re all supposed to be moving in just a few weeks, and things will be better sorted after that.

Next steps are in progress. Morrigan has decided that since the military didn’t work out for him, he’s going back to his original plan, to go to college in Kansas. It’ll mean a lot of loans and student debt. He could go to a public school here in Texas for a lot less of all that, but he’s decided that his dream school is worth it. We’ve already talked to the school and are prepping to get him enrolled and housed for the spring semester, starting mid-January. And so we start again, back to plan, just a semester’s worth of a blip in the meantime. Morrigan will be home for Thanksgiving and Christmas, he can help us move next month, and he has a tiny bit of money saved up for the future. We wish him all the best in that, and really just look forward to seeing him safely home tomorrow!!