My eyes are watery after tucking in my six year-old soccer playing, bike riding, belly laughing boy.
This dialog is more for the days when my memory fades than for the public-at-large, but this is the internet after all, so peek into my heart.
At bedtime tonight, while listening to Jackson blow his nose 27 times, I told him how I am learning about Moses in Bible study and today I learned about Moses's mom.
Me: "Did you know that she loved him to pieces, just like I love you, and she obeyed God, made a special basket for him, put him in the reeds and let him go."
Jackson: "Well, she didn't let him go, she hid him."
M: "Right, but she didn't hang out and watch. She trusted God to take care of him. Just like I let you go to school everyday. I trust God to protect you. And someday I'll let go of you when you go to college, and I'll let go of you even more when you get married.
(I sense a teachable moment so I burst into monologue, expecting to find Jackson sleeping at the end.)
M: "When you were born, and every day after that, we gave you over to Jesus. You are mine to take care of right now, but really, you are his."
(My monologue is interrupted by soft crying and Jackson reaches for my neck, burying his head in my shoulder.)
J: "Mom, I don't even want to get married. I just want to stay with you."
M: "Oh, baby, someday I promise that you really will want to get married. But that's a long time from now and you can stay with me for awhile."
(Still crying. Keep in mind the child is tired.)
Sniffle, sniffle.
J: "Ok, mommy."
So we pray, we sing, and I give him one last kiss.
I stood up in the dark to shut the door, and heard his precious voice again.
J: "Mom, one more thing...Do I have to go to college in another state or can I just stay right here?"
Of course, I wanted to tell him that he could plan on hanging around FOREVER, but I hear that's not healthy and I don't think his daddy would go for it.
Then I quietly shut his door and choked back tears of my own.
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7 comments:
Ahhhh. I had one of those moments today too!
Tonight while I was tucking him in, Zach asked if he could "close the day with a prayer" (only him). After he prayed for God to help his mom with her diet (thx! need all the help I can get), he asked the angels to guard us while we sleep and make sure we are safe. I said "that was great, thanks Buddy", and he said "well actually I got it from Mr. Brad, but I liked it" :)
Oh ... Evan & I had the same conversation about that same age. He said he would go to college here & live in the basement (we don't have one ... he said we'd need to get one by then). But he said he'd just stay with me until he got his "new mom" ... when pressed, I learned that meant his wife. :)
Laura
Ok- I am in tears! So sweet! It is hard to imagine our little boys growing up and leaving us, but I guess reality is, they will. Thanks for sharing!
I love moments like this...it makes all the fighting and yelling and bad behavior easier to forget!
My daughter wants to grow up, live across the street from me and have me watch her kids while she works as a teacher everyday...and my husband said NO WAY! He wants 'em gone, and far, far away!
And I thinnk he's only halfway kidding.
And that right there is why it's great to have a son. Or two. ;)
Oh I can only hope Pax wants to never leave...
Ok, I'm sitting here crying. This story along w/ pregnant hormones makes it impossible not to. And it makes me so excited that I'm having a BOY!!! I wonder if I could get some sort of guarantee from God that mine could be JUST LIKE JACKSON. I'll start praying now...
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