It was a Sunday in July in a county hospital that a young mom met her new baby hours after the delivery. I imagine as the fog of the anesthesia wore off she longed to be able to share the joy of introducing that baby to his daddy. I can imagine her as she snuggled her first born close and breathed in the scent of new life. I imagine her touching his tiny hand and marveling at the delicate handiwork of God...this child...this gift...formed in secret. One day in the future she would cuddle his baby brother, more confident and sure of herself. On that Sunday a nineteen year old became a mom for the first time, counting tiny fingers and toes as well as the days until her Marine came home.
This morning I reached across the bed and held one of those same hands that she held when they were new, and marveled at the gift of her child, my husband. He is like his mom in temperament. Both are tenderhearted, loving, cautious, gentle, determined but not demanding. He favors her...he has her eyes. When he calls her on the phone he always says "Hey Lady". He is like his dad as well. Patriotic, generous, protective, resolute when his mind is made up...also defined as stubborn, depending on your point of view.
He kissed me as dropped him off at work, our affection for one another still strong and familiar. I breathed in the smell of shaving cream and toothpaste that mingled with the scent of him and prayed I never take his presence in my life for granted. I have a cake to bake and a birthday dinner to prepare. Our son and daughter-in-law are coming...our first born...turning out to be like his dad in more ways than he ever imagined as he matures. They share the same laugh!
I think of our daughter and wish she were closer so our family could all be together for the celebration. She is very much like him in temperament, like her grandmother before him. She has the same blue eyes...the family resemblance passed down generation to generation.
Don't we all search for the similarities among family members, those features, mannerisms, and character traits that tie us together and denote our kinship? We search for the resemblance that tells the world that we belong to a certain family and gives us a sense of belonging. Today I take a mental inventory of everything about my husband that can be seen in his children. What I see clearer than anything else is the love. Love for one another, love for family, for traditions, love for God and country. The memories that replay through my mind, the laughter and the tears, the holidays, the average days...they are all tied one to the other by love.
Funny, I never imagined him turning 49...I'm only a few months behind him...it seems like it just crept up on us while we weren't looking. It looks good on him...his gray hair, the smile lines on his face. He's still the one for me.
Tonight we will light some candles...not all 49 years will be represented by a candle. He will hear the Happy Birthday song for the 49th time and we will eat some "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cake.
It's his birthday and our family is going to celebrate...some of us here with him...one of us in another state. Two will celebrate this day and remember exactly where they were and how they felt on the day God introduced him to the world. We will celebrate the love that brought him to us. Each of us feeling blessed because he fills a place in our hearts and lives.
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