Happy Birthday My Son

Today is my son's birthday. I remember when he was born....not all that long ago. He was such a big baby, compared to his sisters. He was all male, right from the beginning; a charmer, sweet and cute, until he wanted to eat....then Heaven help us if he didn't get food immediately. From the time he was a little boy until he was a teenager, I could tell when he was starting a growth spurt....the cereal would magically disappear. The kid would have cereal for breakfast, cereal for after school snack, cereal for dessert, and cereal before he went to bed. I think I was personally responsible for keeping General Mills' profit margin high during those years.

He was a good kid, even though he suffered from "teenage boy disease." You know, inability to wake up to an alarm clock, total fascination with electronic gaming, and a firm belief that parents know absolutely nothing. That's "teenage boy disease." Nevertheless, he was a pretty good kid. He understood responsibility and consequences; something some kids never learn. He was an athlete and loved sports, something he still enjoys. He was an all-state football player and played baseball. (His baseball coach told me that he let my son run the team.) He's a Pittsburgh Steelers fan, just like his dad and the rest of the family. He's even converted his wife. He's still a charmer. He's still cute (ok, handsome). He's still athletic. He's always been a natural leader. He's a Marine.

God Bless you, my son, and may He bring you home safely to those who love you. Happy Birthday.