Not living daily with Bryan anymore, I don’t see changes in him as readily as when we were living together. On our recent September trip to Avalon, I noticed lots of subtle changes from past trips together. It’s a nice surprise to realize that Bryan’s evolution as an adult continues in all sorts of ways. Perhaps he is influenced by his newest job or his roommate. Maybe it’s just Bryan growing into the person he was meant to be.

When we landed at our rental for the week, I was busy getting everyone else settled in, food unpacked, sheets and towels distributed. After an hour of unpacking and making beds, I went down to Bryan’s room where, in the past, he waited for me to help him make his bed, unpack his clothes and organize the dresser and closet. . Lo and behold, he had unpacked everything, set up his bathroom, and had made his bed. It’s good to know momma doesn’t have to do that anymore.

One day after our beach sojourn, all of the family came back to clean off the sand and surf before dinner. Bryan was first in the shower and then took it upon himself to fix some appetizers for our daily “happy hour”. He chopped up some veggies he found in the frig, put some chips in a bowl and opened two dips which he found. This is not earth-shattering by any means, but a kind and loving gesture for his family which was truly appreciated. This was repeated over the week with the fare changing daily.

He and his Uncle Dick continued their vacation ritual of the “B and D” restaurant every day at lunch. Bryan and his uncle get lunch for the family while the rest of us eke out another half an hour of beach time. He cuts up onions and tomatoes, puts out sandwich fixings and condiments and then invites us to lunch upon our return. At dinner, he always sets the table and tries to guess what libation every one might want to accompany the meal. Sometimes the table is overcrowded with mixers, wine, gin and VO (my, my, we sound like a bunch of lushes, don’t we?!).

The two B and D-ers also have a tradition of going for sticky buns for breakfast, Bryan splitting the cost with his uncle. When our favorite spot, Kohlers, closed for the season (and probably forever 😦 ) Bryan found a flyer for another local bakery and convinced his uncle to take him to the new place when we ran out of our sweet breakfast treats. He is so thoughtful (with an ulterior motive of enjoying the sweet goodies himself!)

Although very disappointed that the high surf and rip currents prevented him from venturing far into his beloved ocean, Bryan took it in stride – something he wouldn’t have done a few years ago. We substituted a rousing game of bocce instead, Bryan doing admirably well.

I remember back when Bryan was little – one of his teachers told me that he would reach a plateau of learning and evolving and then stop growing. Although she has since passed away, I would just love to share the fact that, no, Bryan’s growth is not static, he continues to change year by year into a more mature adult. And I am proud of each of his little accomplishments, insignificant as they may seem.