Some lives are just at their beginnings...

That cute little guy on the left is my "baby boy". This Saturday he will be turning #30. I've been thinking about all of the things that he has done and said over these thirty years and it makes me cry and laugh at the same time. He is still the sweetest, kindest person. He was such a gentle little baby.

As a toddler he was very shy outside of our home and didn't like sudden changes in his routine. He didn't like to eat "chewy" foods, especially meats. He went to bed without any problems and always woke up really happy and so glad to see us. He loved Snoopy, cars, trucks and being outside. His joy was to ride around in the car to go see construction sites with the trucks in action. When he was two and a half we brought him home a sister. He was so happy and wanted to help with everything about taking care of her.

He would get mad at her when she bit him or screamed, but he never hit her or yelled back. He would pat her and calm her and watch out for her safety.

When he started school, I cried. I knew that he was a sensitive little guy and that he would need to toughen up to make it. It took him several years and some very frightening moments to become hardened enough to tolerate the inequities of being educated and the bending of the rules that happen at recess. At six he began playing the piano and he was good! He took lessons throughout school, into high school. He had some wonderful teachers and some truly terrible ones. At times it was difficult to send this wonderful boy into the wildness that was life. But he began to thrive. He grew up. His laugh was contagious.

In high school he began to come out of his shell and tried some new and daring things. He joined the Track Team and threw shot put, javelin and lifted weights. He was so dedicated that he drove the other team members to practices. His biggest-out on a limb- adventure was to try out for the Choral Spectrum. That is a singing and dance performance group that competed at the state level and nationally. (Not his usual path.) His group of friends were the nicest kids in the school. They lived at our house and he shared everything with us. Not the kind of thing that you hear from other parents. How lucky was that??

Going on road trips and looking at the colleges was fun. He really had no intention of leaving to go anywhere anyway. But soon the day came and he was leaving. I cried for days and felt a huge pain in my chest like a hole had been opened by a cannon ball! I was so worried, but he did JUST FINE!

His college years flew by. His growth in those years was astronomical. Studying consisted of; History, Japanese, Religions and Astronomy with a little beer on the side. Clark Days...

He performed in the Drama Club, Improv Comedy, began playing the guitar, played rugby, and made very strange and nice friends. He even came home to visit on occasion, with the dirty laundry.

I could list so many wonderful things : skiing, scouts,the beach house, the Grand Canyon Trip, Roaring brook Ranch, St. Martin, Aruba, St. Croix, playing in the band, t-ball,baseball, soccer, Holiday Hill, Camp Woodstock (once) the list goes on and on.

These recent years have brought the most fun. He is an adult now. I feel like I really know him. He met and married a beautiful girl who loves HIM and he loves HER. I can't tell you how great that feels. I love to watch them together. Since the first day that they met there has been a chemistry that we have all felt between them. We now watch them building their life, putting together a home, building their careers and still he is my little guy. He is kind and loving and so sensitive.

Happy Birthday!! I love you.