By JIM FUHRMEISTER / Guest Columnist

Four years ago, I wrote a column for this newspaper about my youngest son, Will, going off to college and the crosscurrent of emotions around that event.

I was looking forward to a successful college career for Will and watching him develop as a person. Now, Will has graduated from Auburn with a degree in industrial design and is about to embark on a master’s degree program for two years in Oslo, Norway.

Four years ago, I was lamenting that my baby was going to be two hours away in Auburn, now I am facing him being 5,000 miles away in Scandinavia!

Meanwhile, Chris, my oldest, is getting married this month. Sally is a beautiful, smart woman and I could not be happier.

Sally is a speech pathologist working with autistic children and Chris continues to be a sports writer. They make a great couple, complementing each other’s strengths. Interestingly, Sally’s father is a judge in Florida.

Every summer about this time, parents everywhere are celebrating the joys of life events with their children: graduations, weddings, new jobs and the like.

We share in our kids’ joy and excitement but also worry for them because our own life experiences have taught us so much. While I still worry for them, I have come to have confidence in them also.

The years of love and teaching that has gone into their raising by their family and this community have born the fruit of wonderful young men with good judgment and values. I have shared with my wife Cindy on several occasions that it is such a relief to see my boys turn out so well.

I will shed many tears this summer at Chris’ wedding and Will’s departure for Oslo, tears from the excitement as they each move into the next phases of their lives and from the pride of getting them to this point.

Families all over Shelby County will be having similar experiences this summer. I celebrate with you and remind you that “Life Is Good!”

Have a great summer.

Jim Fuhrmeister is the Shelby County probate judge.