Most families buy a cake for graduations and birthdays, but Epiphany member Emily Milbrath, the last of the Milbrath kids to head off to college, saw an opportunity to celebrate something different.

Before heading off for her first year of college, she presented her parents with a sprinkle-covered sheet cake reading “Empty Nesters,” complete with a frosted balloon waving “Bye” and a candle shaped like a big, unmistakable zero. Zero kids at home. Kyndra and Bruce seemed to embrace the moment.

We are going to miss seeing Kaylee and Emily as often as we have in previous years, but we couldn’t be more proud of all they have accomplished and all they will do next. And we know they’ll find their way back to us, whether it’s Christmas Eve, summer break, or any Sunday the pew happens to be a little fuller.

We are Epiphany, after all, named for a star that led travelers somewhere new. It seems right to send our young people off the same way: with light out in front of them and a congregation praying them down the road.

So this fall, keep the Milbraths in your prayers. Pray for Emily as she settles in, finds her classes, and makes good friends. Pray for Kaylee as she continues her studies. Pray for Kyndra and Bruce as they learn the rhythm of a quieter house, and as they recover from the sugar high.