If You Were Here...#11

Post Card #11

Greetings! Hope the weather is fine where you are! Over here, it’s like this:

Today, there will be a few decorations, a couple small presents, cake and treats and more “yes”es.

His dad and I will speak of memories from when he was a baby, the stories that are more ours than his, in those early days before he remembers. How scared we were, coming home from the hospital as first-time parents, a new dad driving through a dust storm, a new mom in the backseat staring at this new fragile being strapped into his brand-new rear-facing carseat. We’ll tell of his first smile, his first laugh, his first everything. How this baby of ours was soothed by the dry desert heat outside; by the music of David Gray as we rocked him in our arms to sleep; by the stark blue screen of Jeopardy! on our TV; by excess swinging and tight swaddling.

Remembering him and us over the past (how can it possibly be) two dozen years will cause me to smile at him too much today, and try too often to hold his hand, ruffle his hair, touch his cheek. He’ll forgive me, I think, because of the aforementioned treats and “yes”es.

Happy Birthday, sweet kid. Let’s go make some cake.

That’s the view from here - more soon!