A road of his own...

Well not quite... but he does have the ability now to choose which road to head down in the car along with all the other drivers. Today Mike took the drivers test and passed. It was just a bit unsettling seeing him drive off in my car with someone grading and testing him and I paced the DMV for 20 minutes. He ultimately walked out of the DMV with a huge amount of FREEDOM to get behind the wheel of a vehicle and drive where he chooses. Along with that came a Mom's heart that soared and sank for him.

On one hand it is exhilerating for him to enjoy the freedom that comes with being able to choose his destination and route, but on the other hand he is joining the driving world and all the risks it brings. Signing him up for insurance and that sticker shock price because he is a teenage male enforced the statistics of his age group of drivers. We punched in the numbers if we were getting insurance for a girl and the price was so MUCH lower, I really thought it was a MYTH... guess not.

He still doesn't have a car of his own, so I still have some control of when he drives... but beyond that I know that I can't be there to say choose this road or to watch out for little things like the car backing out of the driveway or the stray shopping cart. This last year our family has had to deal with 2 accidents making it more of a reality that it can happen to us. So a huge amount of Mother's prayers for his safety and those around him.

Our family is also dealing with my Dad's health and it took a turn for the worse yesterday as he suffered a heart attack that put him in ICU. Tonight things were looking a bit better, but he is still recovering from a major hip surgury as well. He is in good hands at the Mayo clinic and glad that they are getting some of the best care around. My Mom has found a good place to stay when not at the hospital with the inspiration and comforts that she needs as she deals with all of this. Although I am sure they wish they were home.