a man on the move

My nephew is about to embark on a new life path. He’s packing up and moving to Omaha, Nebraska. One could, and has, asked Why the Hell Omaha? His answer is because he liked it there. That is as good a reason as any to move to Omaha, I suppose.


I am thrilled that he is heading out on this new adventure. He needs it, needs to stretch his wings, get a fresh look at the world. His worldview has been a little grim for a while and he’s finding his feet again. He’s clever enough to know that this is a good first step, no matter where the journey ultimately takes him. I respect that and the effort, the stepping outside himself that he has had to do to make this move. I’m not so sure he appreciates what it took to make this decision, to see it through. There are some that would not have that inner strength, the confidence, the will of dreams, to propel them forward. He does, and this I am grateful for.


It is symbolic that he makes this move in the beginning of a new year, at the cusp of a decade. A decade that has seem his grow from teenage boy to a man. It will not be easy. In most cases this type of move is often filled with self-doubt, concern for how it will play out, the possibilities of great successes and failures vie for dual position in one’s psyche. There are no guarantees, there are no promises, there are only possibilities and how one approaches them and takes ownership of them.


There is baggage with this move and in part a main reason he is making this choice, taking this step. His brother passed away almost 2 years ago from a short and horrible bout with cancer. B put his life on hold to be with his brother and his family. This is a testament to the heart of him. It is deep and wide, with undiscovered depths. He doesn’t fully understand, or know, what he has within him. Those that know and love him see the potential, truly only he can nurture it to fruition.


He has stayed close to his parents, his home, in this post-cataclysm of his brother’s death, to comfort, to be comforted. They were friends, not far apart in age, and I cannot image what that loss feels like inside his soul. No one can. He knows and has been searching for a new path to balance that loss in his life. As are his parents and peripheral family. But this, this is for him.


A smart man seeks answers, searches for the matter of life, angling for the opportunities to fulfill what destiny has in store, especially when waylaid by the most awful challenges. B is a smart man. He left his boyhood somewhere back in 2007, helping his older brother make it to his chemo treatments, spending time at his mother and fathers sides, being strong, putting his own needs aside for theirs. It is now for him to pick up the threads of his life and weave them into a story he can be proud to tell.


There are words and music flowing through his soul, some he shares, some he holds fast. He views life with a cynicism a young man should not have, but a heart that yearns for joy. This I believe. This I see in the brown eyes that look back at me so direct, so firm, as we talk about this plan. His excitement shines through, the wonder of these new possibilities dancing in his words and gestures. This I hear in his infectious laughter as he jokes. It is time for him. And I wish nothing but wonder and happiness for him on this quest he has set for himself.


When he doubts, I hope he remembers the strength he has shown, the capacity for love living within him, the humor that lights his eyes as he witnesses the absurdities of life around him. I hope he reaches for the love that will be coursing his way, carried on the air, from those that will think of him often. These can be his strength and soulforge.


We will all watch him go, love in our hearts, hope in our souls, that he finds the answers that he seeks, the matter of his life and fulfills the destiny that awaits him.