Empty Nest and Full Hearts

It just occurred to Thelma and me the other day at breakfast that aside from graying hair, wrinkled skin, aching joints and other ailments, there are other telltale signs that things are no longer the same in our life as a family.

There are now more empty seats in the dining table and often it is just the two of us sharing a meal. We seldom go to the upper level of our two-level house (our room is on the ground floor) not only because of my weak knees but also because two of our children’s rooms are now vacated. The whole house is now quiet most of the time because gone are the occasional discussions, shouts and horsing around of youthful voices. And we don’t struggle for our turn on the computer and television anymore as they are ours all day and night.

We are told that these are the beginnings of the “empty nest” period when husband and wife are back to where they started as a newly-married couple. Couples approaching this period are also warned to expect sadness and even depression that would come over them when the empty nest time comes around.

Thelma and I have four children, three of whom are married. Our only son Nico is based in California where he lives with his wife Cecille and daughter Nicole. Pizza our eldest and her husband Jay lives temporarily with us while saving for their own place later. Dana just got married recently and now lives with her husband Marco in Pasig. Only Mae, our youngest, who is still in college at De La Salle University remains as our remaining dependent. So you see, we should be staring at an empty nest perhaps sooner than we realize.

In any case Thelma and I feel that we are prepared when our nest becomes completely empty. We feel that awareness is our best preparation so that we have long ago told ourselves that our children won’t be with us forever. And we raised them with that goal in mind. With that goal in raising our children, we also tried hard to work on the special intimacy that binds us, continually seeking to love each other more each day no matter where we are at the moment.

We also continually seek opportunities to create beautiful memories that we can store in our hearts and look back to when the time of empty nest comes around.

We look forward to one such opportunity when our son Nico comes back to visit the old home next week with his family for the first time in six long years. A family weekend trip to Boracay, a children’s birthday party for Nicole, birthday celebrations for Thelma and Nico, and reunions with the Mendiola and Alvarez clans are just some of the activities we have lined up for them.

They will be here for three long weeks. But I am sure those three weeks will go real fast. And when the visit is over, it will be time for Thelma and I to stare again at the reality of our nest that is beginning to be empty. We are sure, however, that instead of getting visited by depression and sadness, hearts full of joy will be ours instead.