He's Off to Save the Country!! One future vote at a time!

Our son left yesterday to work at the Senate Building and learn how our Congress works (or doesn't work).  He will be a paid Intern for Senator Johanns, (R-NE),  in Washington DC for this spring Semester. 

It is always bitter sweet when you send a child off as most of you know. For me this is a first. 

I know many of you have children and family serving overseas in dangerous positions and I cannot really relate to your angst and trepidations and concerns for your loved ones safety, but I can tell you that it was not easy watching our son walk through the security gate at the airport as he headed out for the first time for this long and far from us work assignment.

It isn't the fact that he is half a continent away...it is the realization that this is the first step in a permanent plan he has in his goal of becoming a US Senator. And a lot of that plan will not have me or his Mom in it just because of logistics.

As we worked these past 2 decades to nurture him and guide him in the right direction and then redirect him when he wavered, as all young people do on the path to true adulthood, I had little thought of his career path or some of the choices he is making. My only goals and dreams for him were to be honest, kind, educated, fair, and helpful.

I did not care if he was the richest or smartest or handsomest or fastest...just that he gave it his best effort.

When he settled on the political process and geared his college education towards that, I was nervous about his choice as we all know that there are a lot of pirahannas in politics.  Shouldn't have worried.

Over the past few years as I watched him zero in on his goals...and stumble a couple of times along the way...I was impressed by his passion and fire...and how he has immersed himself on the history of our country's political leaders and who he quotes all the time...famous people such as Franklin and Jefferson and Lincoln and many others. 

And of course the ever famous Dali Lama... whose quote he shared today...which curiously had a lot of words in it that I shared with Jake for years.

Perhaps 4 1/2 months from now he will say that politics are not for him... or maybe the great state of Nebraska has a future Senator in the making. I suspect the latter.

Heck he already has 2 US Senators, a House representative, the Nebraska Governor, and many others in the political scene who know him on a first name basis...and that is a heck of of a lot farther along in maturity and life than I was when I was his age!!

Good Luck Jake... have fun and know that I am already stumping for votes for ya!!!

ilyttm&b!   Pops!!