Growing up over a summer ...

Jul. 21, 2006 - Growing up over a summer.
It seems that in the months since we officially finished our 180 days and this very day ... my little boy has become some kind of young man.

Last week we attended the funeral of someone dear to us. I knew immediately that I would attend the funeral, but for several days before hand, there was some conversation about whether AJ would go. In typical Amy and Randy fashion, we were basically talking around AJ in trying to decide what to do ... I wanted him to come with me, Randy wasn't sure that would be a good idea, AJ was respectfully silent as we talked this over ... until finally I just asked, Aj(pronounced age because that's what I call him), what do you want to do? "Well, I'll do whatever you and dad think is best, but really, Grandad was sort of like a grandpa to me ... I saw him as much as my grandparents and he always treated me like he loved me ... I think I should go and show I loved him too." How easy was was that to figure out. As it turned out, there were many 'rites of passage' activities on this trip. Our friend Curt and I have done a few late night White Castle(superior to the Krystal) runs in our history together. On Saturday night as the ladies solved the problems of the world(at least my world) the guys went on a journey ... they entered the house where Curt's father had lived and died. He talked to AJ about how strange it was to walk in ... when AJ asked why, Curt replied "he'll never be here again" and that said it all. Together they went to the cemetary. When I asked AJ what he thought about it and what he thought Curt was feeling he said, " I think he just wanted to know that his dad was alright and to be quiet and maybe it was good I was there so he wasn't all my himself, but he didn't have to talk." He learned how to listen to silence that night. They finished the night with a 2 liter of coke and double White Castles ... and that was quite enough.

There have been other lessons ... lessons about girls and lessons about friends ... lessons about wearing deodorant and washing your hair everyday ... lessons about how people perceive you and how to decide if you're going to pay any attention to it ... lessons about sarcasm and lessons about sincerity ... lessons about sex and lessons about love ... lessons about negotiation and lessons about selflessness.

Maybe this journey will be as exciting as it is scary!