Luke

Fourteen years have passed since my baby boy was born; my little Luke, the good little baby that liked to take long naps and made a million messes. I picture him so well in a shirt and diaper so heavy that it swayed at his knees as he ran around the house avoiding anyone who might decide to change him.

I picture him doing karate moves with his brother while Bear worked through the belt colors. And I remember him sitting with his sister at the piano; Annie allowing him to push only one key at a time. And there was the day that he’d had it with them. Asking them to go away and not come back. They “pretended” to take Luke up on the offer, taking off down Robinwood side by side, while he screamed from the door, “Come back! Come back!” Fortunately for all us, they did.

Now life is so different from those days of little people in the house. They grew so quickly and it is hard to believe that fourteen years have passed. Today, I will load Luke and his buddies up in the Sub and take them on an adventure. Tomorrow they go down into the depths of Blanchard Cavern on the “Wild Cave Tour.” It’s what Luke wanted for his birthday this year and I think that and a little fishing in the Sylamore Creek should do for a pretty fine birthday party. Probably next year, he’ll be too grown up to think about hanging with Mom with his friends so I’ll savor this while I can.

Time marches on. And on and on and on.

Stephen, Jimmy, and Luke at Blanchard Caverns