Saying goodbye to Jake

Jake has been a part of our lives for over five years and it is one of the hardest goodbyes that we have had to say – especially for Mama. It happened today as his mother picked him up at our apartment for the very last time.
He spent the night with us last night and missed school today so he could spend a few hours with Mama Kim one last time. She also wanted him to go to church with us one more time before we left and Wednesday night is a good time to take him because of the special program we have for his age group during the Adult Bible study. It surprised me that he was very aware of the parting that was coming between him and Mama Kim.
One of the things that has endeared him to Mama Kim and I is his tenderheartedness and his thoughtfulness towards others. It is never more apparent than when he is with his Mama Kim. I could barely get close to her for his insistence on being as close to her as he could stay throughout the time they were together.
He kept bringing up little things that bothered him – and that he knew would worry Mama Kim too; who would get him on half-days at his school, who would come to his special events when his Mom was working, who would keep him during his brother’s boring football practices.
To watch my wife snuggle him and smother him with kisses as he pretended to concentrate on his DS game or the television was comical. Both of them knew they would miss it when this time was done. So they made the most of it together. Every time Mama Kim would sit down, Jake would slide in close and lean into her. I would have made a game of it but it was too serious a moment between them.
When his Mom came Thursday afternoon he was clearly not ready to go; he was thirsty, he hadn’t eaten dinner yet, could she come back in a couple hours?, etc. Then the planning began. He would simply fly down to see Mama Kim. So he walked over to the calendar we have on the wall. After a moment of study he pointed to a set of days in November and announced. “I can go here because we don’t have school.” Incredulous (Mocking, of course.) his mother scolded, “So you will leave me during Thanksgiving?”
Undeterred he flipped the page and offered a compromise. “Alright, I can go here.” “Jake, that’s Christmas!” “Well Mom those are the only days I have off from school.” Mama Kim and his mom were both laughing but it was not funny to Jake so we promised to Skype each other. “Then we can see each other!” Mama Kim offered. “Yea, but I can’t touch you on Skype.”
Mama Kim and Jake’s mom both cried on that one.