I really hate goodbyes

I always feel like I've been punched in the gut when one of the kids leaves ... back to school, back to Omaha, back to a midtown apartment.
This time, it's Ryan, my only son, my middle child, my sensitive boy, who's returning to MU after a short weekend stay. He's been home for the better part of a year, and now he's gone again. I know he has to leave; I know he loves academia; I just hate when the leaving part happens.
I am always a sappy, emotional sad-sack when I stand out in the driveway, waving, as one of the kids backs his or her car out. I think, Is this the last time I'm ever going to see my son? My daughter?
Mother worry takes over and suddenly the possibility of Any Crisis become a Very Real Possibility.
I worry about car wrecks and blown-out tires on the interstate. With my girls, I worry about abductions and assaults. I worry about my kids feeling lonely and homesick ...and I worry about me, 'cause I'm the one who feels lonely when the house grows quiet.