Good Bye Tijmen

After three weeks, Tijmen has headed back to the Netherlands. He's currently in the air as I write this. His girlfriend will pick him at midnight our time or 6am in the Netherlands

I had a good cry after dropping him off. It was just really ... sad. I'm just not sure why this time met even more sad than normally. I think it was harder for Tijmen too despite the fact that he is returning to a woman he loves and a new job as, what we would call in the USA, an FBI white-collar crime investigator. (Tijmen is a tax lawyer in his country.) 

I think, if I had to try to figure it out, the sadness is because we've truly melded Tijmen into our family. He's an official part that will stand the test of time.

I've realized that Tijmen AND my children are all zoomers. He was born in 1998! This is the year John and I were married! Tijmen is truly our fifth "child." He really is a surrogate child in our family (even though he is a grown man.)

As the boys have gotten older, I've realized, he is now friends with the boys. They are more like peers than kids and adults. This morning, Tijmen and I left the house at 6am and stopped for breakfast at First Watch. During breakfast, he remarked that 26 is an interesting age. Kids still think he's an adult and adults still think he is a kid. He still seems young to me. But yet, he's a grown man preparing to spend his life with a wonderful lady.

I told him that 26 is such a fun age. His girlfriend is 23. We are so hopeful that in the next two years, we will be able to fly to Netherlands and be there for their wedding and meet Ann-Ruth. But, chances are, we won't be seeing Tijmen for quite some time. 

I have lived such a blessed life. We have such amazing people in our lives. Jacob and Tijmen are two of the greatest gifts this farm has given us. Sometimes it feels like we don't get much "production" out of this 96-acres. But meeting Tijmen and seeing him come to Christ is truly one of the greatest gifts this farm has given us. 

Man, we are going to miss him.