I’ve had so little time for blogging this summer, or much any reflection for that matter. In May, my family completed our move from South Carolina to South Dakota. I got a job offer right in the middle of that move, so now we’re looking down the barrel of one academic year involving a lengthy commute from our new home to that job. I don’t remember when or under what circumstances, but a few years back my wife passed along a fantastic piece of life advice/commentary from her father: “You only have today to be good to them.”
He was talking about our two sons, of course.
In May, the specter of spending every day with them until August seemed like so much time. It was almost daunting to think through how to occupy their busy little hands and their spongy little minds. We played, we painted and drew, we read countless books, and then I realized this morning that now that time is gone. They didn’t understand why Daddy’s face was leaking during music time this morning, but they hugged and kissed me sweetly anyway. Then one boy bellowed something incomprehensible and the other farted, so the moment passed as quickly as we started laughing.
On Monday we pack them off to daycare so we can both resume work and be–to use another well-worn phrase from my in-laws–just as happy as if we were normal. I started the summer thinking about things that I could try to teach these two lovely little rascals. Now it’s crystal clear that I’m the lucky schlub who got to learn how to be their father over and over again each day.
This next part will be hard, but then again when has getting up and packing the kids off to go anywhere been easy? I pray we might all learn from the example of our second-born: he’s pictured here having just yelled one of his current favorite words, “GO!”
Yes indeed: into life and love we go once again, ever deeper.
Peter Hoesing 