In May of 2011 CD returned home....... for good.  Pacific turned out not to be the place, the school, for him.  There is no blame.  CD secured some lasting friendships with a few swimmers who we are very fond of.  Community college was his path these last two years.  It was God's plan, I believe, for CD to come home.  He stopped swimming, graduated from the Open Water Lifeguard Academy, went to work as a Guard at Coronado High School pool and on the San Diego Bay.  During this reprieve at home we discovered CD has ADHD.  His level of competitive swimming kept this at bay. When he stopped swimming, it hit us like a freight train running full speed ahead, and we were not prepared to deal with it.  Of course we had noticed some of the symptoms of this, but we had not put it all together, until his behavior, his lack of focus, constantly losing things, impulsiveness all came crashing down.  It was a process to get the diagnosis, and another process to help him find good people to help him figure things out, give him tools, help us to help him, and yes, to find a drug that would help him keep his mind quiet enough to function, especially academically. CD is set to transfer to college come fall, and we are trying to get everything into place to make sure he has a successful transition and can focus on his studies to become an Athletic Trainer, a career I can picture him excelling in. 
In the meantime, our second son, CD2, finished up his swim career in high school with his club team and was offered a swimming scholarship to attend Loyola University in Baltimore, MD.  His freshman year is almost over.  It has passed quickly, although I have missed him dearly.  CD2 is studying journalism, with a minor in photography, and he is thriving.  He has built his village well, and his friends are solid.  It has been fun to watch him grow into this young man who knows what he wants and is living out his convictions.

I have found this stage of my life to be challenging, to be full of ups and downs and to be one of the most important for my boys, as I need to be the rock they can look to and count on.  When they were younger and boogie boarding, swimming or surfing in the ocean, they would always pick a guard tower as their "landmark" so if the currents carried them too far down the beach, they knew where they needed to come back to in order to "center" themselves, and they could then find where I was sitting.  It is much the same now.  I need to be their "guard tower" so if they get lost or thrown off course, they can find me and "center" themselves.  I'm more than okay with that.  Being a mom is about 'whatever it takes.'