A Year Older

This kid is 8!  Be. Still. My. Heart.

... because like two friggin' seconds ago he looked like this! 

And, as much as I love the little man that he's becoming, the conversations that are growing deeper, the jokes that are becoming funnier (thank goodness!), and the heart that is getting bigger, I still miss the little boy who needed me--a lot.  Because, as we raise this boy into a man, we want him to be able to leave us.. and leave with confidence, which means needing his mama less (and differently) with each year.

And, lest you tell me that I'm "jumping the gun," let me be clear: 18 is right around that proverbial corner.  And while he still needs me (and will even then and beyond), it's clear to me that "the now" is the training ground for "the then."

And, I'm mindful that we can't wait until he's 18 to show him how to be a man.  I'm mindful every time I send him into the post office on his own, let him get left behind in a store (head in a book, no doubt) only to find us much later, tell him to figure it out on his own, enforce manners to the point of nausea, and encourage a heart of service to others--it's all just a stepping stone.  I don't want to keep my baby a baby--I like watching him grow up!  It's just going too fast... that's all.  Just too darn fast.

So, happy birthday, my faithful little boy who is kind (I mean KIND) to others.  What a heart you have, and I, for one, am excited--if even a little tearful--to see how God plans on growing you up!  You made this mama's life the day you were born!