One of the last weeks
before I went away to college--the most unpleasant and scariest experience of my life--I was waking up in bed to bright sunlight coming through the blinds and the sounds of my parents talking. They were messing with my mom's alarm clock radio, trying to fix it. I kept my eyes closed and rumpled the blankets. They said there was a small number of mornings left in which they could be with me when I woke up. Soon I'd be sleeping 144 miles away. The alarm clock's radio kept fuzzing and when it would come into focus, "Once in a Lifetime" was playing quietly. They hummed along and I felt comforted for the moment. Every kid has comforting memories of hearing their parents talking as they fall asleep in the backseat, or in the next room. It seems that every now and then, in times of great change, life takes pity and gives you one more beautiful taste of what you are going to miss so much. And that Sunday morning was one of the last.