Around the time Jennifer Lynn was in 4^th grade, a primary topic of conversation around our house was how my sister and Steve’s sister were consumed with making arrangements to care for our aging   mothers.

I remember saying goodnight to Jennifer Lynn one night and watching the light bulb go on in her head when she realized that the daughter living in closest proximity to the elderly parent was usually the child saddled with the responsibility of making sure Mom had a place to live as her physical and mental health declined.  Jennifer, at age 10, said her prayers that night and then asked me, “When I graduate from college, can I go live in London?”

So you see, her goal from a young age has been to be sure that when Steve and I can’t remember what we had for dinner the night before, that she is far, far away, leaving her older siblings to push our wheelchairs down the hall of the assisted living facility.

It was no big surprise then, that when Jennifer Lynn had the opportunity to apply to Pepperdine’s study abroad program, she didn’t waste any time. But it’s even better! Just in case London or Buenos Aires or Heidelberg wasn’t far enough away from her AARP parents and our condo in Cotati, Pepperdine offered a year-long program to study in Shanghai!

So when I got a text from her last week that she had been accepted into the Shanghai program, the text had many exclamation points. “You know, you won’t be able to see us for that year, right?” I asked her. From her point of view, the news just keeps getting better and better.