We came back in the middle of July on a Wednesday and got to attend a convention in a beautiful resort starting on Thursday. The first night, we got to eat in the nicest restaurant I’ve ever eaten in. The problem was that we were so jet lagged, I would have drowned if they had served soup. So, I’m sure I made another GREAT impression.

After a few days in Dallas, we drove to Chicago to celebrate Nancy’s father’s 85th birthday. On the way, we got to stop in Kansas and see the coolest human on the planet and her baby. Elijah was born with acute hemophilia, and there were several times when they wondered if he would make it. It was such a treat to see him; he is a wonderful child.

We enjoyed the time in Chicago, but the clock was ticking. The twins and Matthew started school, and then it was soon time for JT to leave for college. The week before he left just flew by, and so many things that we wanted to do we didn’t because we ran out of time.

It was just he and I who drove out to Wake Forest, and he went to a pre-orientation for campus ministries. It was a great opportunity for him; to start college and know who the Christians on a campus are is a great thing, and he made many friends. They had a parent’s day on Friday, so I hung out in NC until that day. After the speeches and events, we went out to dinner. After dinner, they had requested the parents to leave. As I drove back to the campus, I started weeping in a way I don’t think I’ve ever cried before. I just had so many regrets of things I wished we had done and things I wished I had done better, but I think I wept for time more than anything.

My sister heard me cry and said `It’s good to have something that can make you cry like that.’ My good friend Tom told me that when his son went off to college, he realized that something had changed that would never come back, and it was hard.

It was a long trip home, but despite the sadness I’ve had a real excitement about JT and the next step. He is loving college, and we are proud of the young man he has become.

When I was in CA in June, I was filmed for a documentary. I haven’t seen it yet, but it is coming out soon. I got an email about it:

Our new documentary, “THE ANSWER To Absolutely Everything,” will be released worldwide on DVD October 15, following two weeks of private pre-release screenings in numerous cities.

Be sure to read a very heartwarming story and other production news on my latest blog update, at: http://www.gettheanswer.org.

Also, take a moment (if you haven’t already) to visit and join THE EXPANDING CIRCLE — our new online community. Visit: http://expandingcircle.net.

In addition, if you go to Youtube.com and type in Steve Peifer, you can see the work of Scott Thompson and a documentary he produced about our projects. He did a great job.

It has been interesting being back in the states, but we are so aware that the clock is ticking. Time is precious; I hope we get to see you or talk to you.

Your pal