Everything's Got 'Em

I almost expect to see Ted Koppel sitting at a desk in my living room, announcing solemnly what day of our crisis we are currently experiencing. Our son has been away from us for two days now, and we are all feeling it. It comes in simple ways, like choosing to eat dinner in the living room so we don't notice the empty chair at the kitchen table. It has a larger sense to it as well, like the house has suddenly become much larger, yet I can't help from running into things when I go from room to empty room.
I know that as soon as he gets comfortable with being away from home, we'll see less of him. All of those offers to spend the night will become reality, and my wife and I will try to find ways to fill that void. But really, it's only been two days. He called us last night for a little reassurance, and I gave him the A's score. I felt like I was being folded in half, but I kept it light, for his sake. He's growing up, and I don't want to be the thing that keeps him from going where he needs to go and seeing the things he needs to see.
It made me think of "The Point" by Harry Nilsson. It tells the story of a round-headed kid who gets banished from the Land Of Point to wander in the Pointless Forest, where he learns a lot of important lessons: "A point in every direction is the same as no point at all," and "You see what you want to see, and you hear what you want to hear." When he finally emerges on the other side of the forest, he returns home to tell the King, his family, and the evil Count who sent him away in the first place, that "If everything has a point, then I must have one too."
And that's what I think we're finding out this week.