Today is my oldest son’s twelfth birthday. As any parent will tell you, it seems like just yesterday when I was carrying him around in my arms so his grandparents could see him for the very first time. There are many great memories surrounding the years he has invaded our lives. Some of them are funny, some are sad, and some are just downright embarrassing.
I remember taking our church youth group to a camp in the mountains of North Carolina when Scott was still a baby. We had dinner at a Pizza Hut in Brevard, and my “shy” boy decided he liked our waitress. So, he patted her on the fanny while she was taking our order. It startled her until she realized what had happened. Then, she laughed. My wife and I laughed, too.
I also remember many late nights and difficult days when the only thing that would get him quiet was my index finger in his mouth. A pacifier would not do it; rocking and coddling would not soothe him; nothing seemed to calm him until I let him suck on my finger. Don’t worry, I always washed first.
One of the hardest weeks in my life came when my son was older. During the summer following his third grade year, Scott went to the same North Carolina church camp we had visited when he was young. (I always wondered if he was going to try to find that waitress again!) This time he was away from all of his family, for a week; and I was without him, for a week. He was over 300 miles from home in a place I could not be, all week. I did not think that week would ever end, but it did. When Scott arrived home I gave him the biggest hug of his life. Then, we talked. Was he homesick? He told us he was. Did I cry while he was gone? Absolutely. Would I do the whole thing all over again? In a heartbeat. He would, too.
The older I get, the more I realize that Scott does not belong to me. I’ve known it all along (read my earlier blog entitled “Thank you, God”). It’s just that as I get older, he spends more and more time away from me. It’s hard. He is one of my best friends of all time. And when you are away from one of your best friends, your heart just doesn’t feel quite the same.
Happy Birthday, Scott. May every minute of your life find you growing in knowledge of the grace of the One who made you. May you find joy and happiness with His Spirit living in you, and may you always be totally content with His love and His plan for your life. I love you.
From my desktop to yours, it’s another Alabama memory.
