Today is My Son's 9th Birthday!

On top of everything else, today is my son's birthday!

 

I had heard all of my life about the "miracle of life". And eight years ago on this day, I was not only witness to the birth of new life, but also, that new life was from me! My own flesh and blood, a new generation for my family was created right there!

 

It was a miracle, on so many levels.

 

And through a span of eight years - not always easy times, of course, - I still feel very thankful for his presence in my life, and for my roll as a father. He means the world to me, and I make sure to remind him of that every time that I see him. The one thing that I never want to make him feel like is unwelcome, or unappreciated, because his presence measures beyond any poor attempts at words here for me to express!

 

He just keeps on getting bigger, and somehow, predictably, I grow sadder watching him outgrow things. When he stops playing with some of the toys for very young children, or stops watching shows for the very young children, or says that he's "too old" or "too big" for certain things.

 

Yet, that too is only part of the story. I take joy in watching him grow older, in growing smarter and more world savvy. Plus, he is still just a kid, with plenty of time yet (for now) before he gets a taste of what adult life really is like. He is fixated on being bigger, on growing older, and closer to adulthood, and all of the respect and freedom that he associates with it.

 

Of course, that is the way that kids see adulthood. Once you reach it, you realize that it is a lot more than that. The privileges that come with that extra responsibility wear out fast, and the pitfalls begin to dominate after a certain amount of time.

 

Still, there is time for all of that. Right now, he seems happy, enjoying his childhood. That is as it should be, and I want to make sure that he does not grow up too fast. Let him enjoy this now, and worry about adulthood later. Why rush these things?

 

I look at him, and am reminded of the miracle of having a healthy and happy little boy to add blessings to my life, and hope always for the future. I never wanted to make the mistake of taking him for granted, or of making him feel like he was some kind of a burden in my life. So, I remind him that I love him, and that he means the world to me, every time that I see him. It is my way of making sure that he understands that, with me, he is always home, always welcome, come what may.

 

So, even though he is unlikely to see this particular blog entry today, or to care much about it if he does, it nonetheless gives me great joy to wish him a very happy birthday!

 

 

”˜˜”*°•.¸☆ ★ ☆¸.•°*”˜˜”*°•.¸☆
╔╗╔╦══╦═╦═╦╗╔╗ ★ ★ ★
║╚╝║══║═║═║╚╝║ ☆¸.•°*”˜˜”*°•.¸☆
║╔╗║╔╗║╔╣╔╩╗╔╝ ★ BIRTHDAY ★
╚╝╚╩╝╚╩╝╚╝═╚╝ ♥￥☆★☆★☆￥♥ ★☆]
[̲̅̅w̲̅][̲̅̅I̲̅][̲̅̅S̲̅][̲̅̅H̲̅] [̲̅̅Y̲̅][̲̅̅O̲̅][̲̅̅U̲̅] [̲̅̅A̲̅][̲̅̅L̲̅][̲̅̅L̲̅] [̲̅̅T̲̅][̲̅̅H̲̅][̲̅̅E̲̅] [̲̅̅B̲̅][̲̅̅E̲̅][̲̅̅S̲̅][̲̅̅T̲̅]
*”˜˜”*°•.¸☆ ★ ☆¸.•°*”˜˜”*°•.¸☆...
☻/
/▌

I believe this was the first picture of my son and me together, from the day that he was born, I believe!

 

 

My favorite baby picture of him!

 

 

 

A couple of pictures from around a year ago, when I took my son to see the Jets versus the Raiders.



 

A couple of pictures of my son with my brother during our trip to New England and the Maritime provinces earlier this year. The one above is at Stephen King's house in Bangor, while the one below is from a fish 'n chips place in Charlottetown, PEI.

 

At the Lincoln Memorial on a cold spring day in 2013.

 

 

Posing, making an angry face. Don't exactly remember when this was taken.

 

 

 

My son's class picture last year.

 

My son's class picture this year, 2014.

 

 

He dressed up as a cub scout for Halloween, and we went trick or treating together. Great memories!