My youngest was home sick today.
That meant taking turns with my wife on the couch holding him while watching Sesame Street between meetings all day. The little dude is of the age and temperament that he never stops moving if he’s awake. His teachers describe as “busy”.
So if he’s in a mood to cuddle, you know something is wrong.
I was out-of-town all of last week, and I never anticipated how much I’d miss holding that little man. Over the last couple years, my family has become my pride and joy; my happy place. Being away from them is like kryptonite to me.
Which is another reason I didn’t mind holding that piteous, little sick baby all day.
Because daddy still has those special healing powers that fade away when they get older. And one day all too soon, he’ll act like a typical man when he’s sick. Which is to say he’ll be grumpy and needy and intractable all at the same time.
The memory of visiting my father’s grave this past weekend still fresh, I hugged that baby extra close today.
And maybe one day when he’s sick again sometime, he’ll stumble on dad’s old writings and come across this one. And realize that sickness, pain, and even life itself will come to pass.
And see that it was him and his brother that made it all worth it.
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