All My Boys Are Grown Up

It is such a strange thing- getting older.

One minute you are a child.
Then you turn around and you are an adult.
And getting married.
And having children of your own.
How did that happen?

When those children are all small the days seem long. The runny noses unrelenting. The dirty diapers never ceasing. The skinned knees unending. The hungry stomachs unsatisfiable. The dirty clothes mountainness.

And then you turn around again.

My favorite picture! Two and a half years old.

And they are grown.


And now my baby boy is turning 21 tomorrow.
Three sons.
And now three adult men.
How did that happen?

Yes, my Aaron is turning 21.

And yet I have crystal clear memories of snuggling his baby-soap scented cuddliness and reading him "The Big Red Barn"....just one more time.

And I remember with perfect clarity him smiling his toothy smile at me, melting my heart, and causing me to forget why I was scolding him.

And then I turned around.
And he was taller than me.
And he had that same toothy grin (although it was no longer only my heart he could melt.)


And now he is his own man and thankfully he is God's man too.
He is funny, and messy, and a goof ball, and in love with his Savior, and in love with his girl.
He tells puns and harmonizes when he sings. And when he sings to Jesus it is with his whole heart and being.
And when he can tell I need a hug he hugs me with love and warmth that melt me still.

Happy birthday my son. You are a true joy and a delight.
21. How did that happen?