Walk About Wednesday

I remember driving Owen to preschool, what seems like a million years ago now. He hardly spoke then, only just beginning to talk; it takes bigger breathes to fill my lungs with air thinking about it, drinking my hot tea, trying not cry. I talked the entire time we would be in the car, most days; depending on traffic it could take us twenty-five minutes to get there. If I wasn’t talking I was singing to him. I always tell Owen we sing loud, and we sing proud. One day, I’ll never forget it, I was singing The Wheels On The Bus, and when I would get to the end of the verse I would always pause, hoping Owen would sing it. “All through the”, and I’d wait. From the back of the car, in his carseat, he sings “townNa”. I immediately rejoiced, cried, and thanked God for his words. It wasn’t really loud, but it was my baby singing with me. I cried to whole way to his school. We got there, and I cried all the way to his class. I told his teacher what happened, and she was happy, too. I left crying. My baby sang with me. The tears haven’t gone away; I’m crying again. As we walked to the bus stop today, so many years later, we sang The Bear Necessitates, and I thought about how far we’ve come. I see his words, his songs, his actions, all as gifts that I get to enjoy every day. It has taken a lot for my baby to come this fair, and I know about the worries, and the strife. To hear him giggle in the middle of a song, and the smile that washes across his face, washes away the tears that I have cried. Today is a stepping stone for tomorrow. Know that together we can accomplish great things. Find your strength, and make today matter. Smiles to all and donut daze!