Happy Birthday, My Boy!

August is an emotional mess for me–a seasonal depression of sorts. I have dreaded the first day of school for the past 26 years, with a brief 4-year interruption in my autumnal-approaching sullenness known as the college years. There is one shining star–one bright nugget of greatness in all of August–and that is my boy! He is the greatest and the best in the history of ever! He is difficult to put into words, but one hug from him and you will experience what I am attempting to capture. My boy is a really good hugger.  It's like "starstuff" and dirt with a whiff of chlorine for good measure! He is outdoors and summertime wrapped up in the most handsome of packages!

Today my baby turns FOUR! Who-to-the-what just happened?! I frequently beg him to stop growing, but he wont listen. Thankfully with his growing up, he continues to cultivate more and more awesomeness! We had a birthday party for him this weekend and in the days and months leading up to the party he lived his life by the mantra, "The whole world can come to my party!" He proceeded to invite all those with whom he came in contact with: waitresses, kids at playgrounds, folks at grocery stores. My boy is a lover... not a Casanova, just a genuine lover of people.  He cares deeply in his core for people. Stranger or not, it seems he loves you just for the fact that you're breathing!

My little man is an natural sharer. He is quick to share with anyone (very occasionally excluding his sister, who likely deserved it), as exemplified by actions at his party this weekend. He received so many great and exciting gifts, all of which he allowed his friends to play with first, for he was just over-the-moon that "my best people were there and we had rice krispie treat cake!" You see, his innate desire to share goes beyond just "things"–he desires to share joy with people–to share "fun" with people. He revels in the smiles on peoples' faces (just don't laugh at him, he is not a fan of that)! This is why he is so apt to invite "the whole world" to his party, for all peoples deserve fun and happy times!

This thread runs deep into this boy I call mine. It was evident early on that he is a peculiar kind of child. He is a broken-heartedly joyful sort. His little heart will break in an instant for others and he will do anything within his powers to make it better! I pray a prayer of blessing over him most nights, "Lord, please keep him this way. I never love seeing my child's heart broken, but if it is breaking for the same reasons that Your heart breaks, then there is something absurdly comforting about it. Keep his heart soft and open."

My guy is adventurous and silly, brave and logical, analytical and abstract–he wrestles and he cuddles. For some unknown and blessed reason, I get to experience him daily. I get to watch him grow up. I get to call him my son! Jesus has so much to work with in him... I think we are both excited about that!

Happy Birthday, My Boy!