Dear Jacob

Dear Jacob,


Well the time has come for you to leave home and head off for college.  It's your time to write a new chapter in the Book of Jacob.  When you were in first grade, I asked you if you liked your title one reading class.  You said, 'Yes, I get to bring home books.  Today we learned the alphabet.  We only had to say half of it.  We only had to go to Z."  Now you know your alphabet from A to Z, you can write the new chapters in the Book of Jacob with all the knowledge gleaned through the years, and you can make the chapters about college fun, interesting, insightful and humorous.  Don't forget the humor.  I think in all I've taught you, I've taught you the value of a sense of humor.


This is an exciting time for you, and Dad and I and are trying to figure out how to let you go and be excited about it at the same time.  It's a big step for you, and it's a big one for us too.  Letting go of your kids is a bag of mixed emotions for a parent.  We want to let you go, we know it's necessary, but we want to hold on too.  We want you to be successful, to make your mark in the world.  We are proud of you and all that you have accomplished so far, and we want you to continue to be successful.  In letting you go, we know that the Jacob you are today will not be the Jacob that comes home for visits.  You will grow up and grow away from us.  That's all part of life, doesn't mean it's easy for the parents to deal with.


We have to adjust to seeing the grown man before us, while remembering the little guy who wore his bike helmet all day long, his boots on the wrong feet, and riding his bike without training wheels at 2.5 years old.  Sometimes I feel like I'm still adjusting to the guy with the deep voice who answers your phone when I call you.  I won't admit to looking at my phone to see if I mistakenly called your dad when I thought I was calling you.  Even though NMSU thinks of you as an adult, you are still our child.  Who do they think they are telling me I can't just call up and get information about you?  Privacy laws?  I wash your underwear for heavens sake.  Okay, so you're an adult, we will adjust.


You will learn many things in College that we can't teach you.  I hope that we have taught you what you need to be a good citizen.  Be honest, be respectful, be diligent, be kind, be yourself.  When something needs to be dealt with, deal with it.  You knew that from a young age.  When the year 2000 was arriving, there were many who were concerned about Y2K.  In a discussion one morning with the kids at the bus stop, you told them that if that Y2K bug came to our house, you would just squish it.  You once told Grandma Minnie that if anyone asked you a question, you would give them the most intelligent answer that you could. So keep squishing the bugs, and keep giving intelligent answers.


You will meet a lot of different people, and your community will enlarge.  Kameron told Joyce and Kevin many years ago that he heard some very bad news.  He heard that there are more girls than boys in this world.  I reckon that's not such bad news to Kam today, and I reckon it's good news to you as well.  Treat the girls respectfully.  Be a gentleman always, because jerks are a dime a dozen.  Be cheerful around them, because a happy guy is a fun guy.  I know that years ago you told Diana Ricter that you could be her grouchy husband, because you were grouchy, grouchy, grouchy.  Grouches are boring.  Be happy!


Keep track of your time, and use it wisely.  You used to ask me, "Mom, did I do that last morning?"  I won't be there to be your alarm clock.  I won't be your reminder of what needs to be done, and what's important.  You need to keep track of what you did "last morning."


Be true to yourself, and don't be influenced in making decisions because of someone else's opinion. When you were in 3rd grade you told us about a conversation that you and Jerry had at school.  "Today Jerry said out loud that he has a crush on Brittany Spears."  I asked if you would ever say out loud that you had a crush on someone.  You said, "Sure, I have a crush on Brittany Spears too."  I asked if you knew who she was.  You said, 'No."  I asked, "Then how can you have a crush on her?"  You said, "Cause she's cool."  


When you are writing the chapters in the Book of Jacob, remember that we all love you.  Yes, even your sisters love you.  Don't forget to call home.  You once said, 'Mommy, aren't you surprised that I love you so much?"  No, I'm not surprised, I'm just thankful you still love me.  You even told me once that you loved me, and you liked me too.  In everything you do, remember that you are loved.  You might be far away from us, but you will always be in our hearts.


Life won't be always easy, and you've always known that.  You told me when you were little that life is hard and there's not a thing you can do about it.  You can make your life successful, happy and interesting.  Write well, because I want to enjoy the book.


I love you.


Mom