Today I love learning how to live. 23 years ago today, the
day after Labor Day is when I really began receiving lessons. On the evening
before Labor Day, The Man and I had just put the finishing touches on the baby's
room and then we just sat in that peaceful space listening to lullabies before
going to sleep for the night. (Maybe that's where some of this boy’s love for
music comes from, but I truly believe that gift comes from God.) Little did we
know, as we rested our heads that evening, how our lives were about to change.
Fast forward to 2:13pm the following afternoon and this guy
shows up to begin our lessons in how to live. He's been teaching us ever since.
We've learned some things that we'll never forget, a few lessons that we needed
extra course work in (thus his sister two and a half years later), and a few facts
that I'm sure he doesn’t realize he taught us. And there are a few that maybe
even he has forgotten. I thought I'd set them down here for all of us to remember. In no particular order, these are 10 Lessons
in How to Live from my baby boy:1. Never expect things to go exactly as planned. I think this is the first lesson all babies teach their parents.
2. Always be ready for an adventure; keep your Legos packed. You never know when you'll have the opportunity to take off for South America. (Make sure your dad is watching when you leave so he can stop you before you actually leave the yard!)
3. Learn...in spite of what doesn't go your way...learn from it...learn in spite of it. (And never mix up the radiator with the windshield fluid reservoir.)
4. YES on the copy of Oh! The Places You'll Go for high school graduation; YES on getting all of the teachers along the way to sign the copy. NO on the read aloud at the graduation party...trust us on this one. The ugly cry is...well...not pretty.
5. Keep wonder; lose judgement. (He got almost as excited about the tree frog outside of Henry's Restaurant in West Jefferson as he did at the baby tigers in Indiana last week!)
6. Youtube...if you don't know how to do something, chances are someone else does. And if they know it, they have probably shared it with the world!
7. Something can usually be made from nothing...open your mind and let your creative juices flow! This kid once fixed our refrigerator shelf with a paper clip and a rubber band!
8. Macaroni art is a perfectly acceptable gift. (See #7 above!)
9. Be ready with a song; you never know when you'll need it, and you'll always be able to make someone else's day with it.
10. "If God is for us, who can be against us?" Romans 8:31 This one goes all the way back to our first Vacation Bible School experience. I can still hear his 4 year old voice reciting this memory verse. True then, true now, true forever.
Happy Birthday, my son. I've told you before, and I'll tell you again, and someday you’ll believe me...you are a great teacher.
Thanks for the lessons.
I love you!
