Letter to my Son: Baby Steps
Dear son,
A few weeks ago now, I saw you do one of the most incredible things of your young life to date. You'd been pulling yourself up on everything you could crawl to, but hadn't quite taken that first step without holding on to something. On this day, however, you saw the Ring of Much Tastiness taunting you on the piano bench, which was in between you and the Box of Buttons and Moving Pictures. I watched as you wrinkled that face of yours, knowing that one of two possible scenarios was about to occur - you were about to take your first step, or you were making a large deposit in your diaper.
And then, you let go of the chair, crossed one ham over the other, and planted your foot on the ground, still not holding anything. Three things were learned that day: 1) you could let go and move someplace else - more exploring! and 2) Daddy could win the Olympic high jump from the seated position (what can I say? I've got a strong butt).
Oh, and the 3rd thing? That sometimes, even when everything is going wonderfully right, things go suddenly go horribly wrong. Your crossover step was magnificent, but what you didn't account for was the awkward position it left you in. No more than a half a second after you took that one step, you tried to take another to catch your balance... and face planted on a toy.
Through all the tears though, it wasn't lost on me that you had still taken your first steps... and done it without mommy. For weeks I tried to goad you in to doing it again, setting up simplistic scenarios ("Look! No toys on the floor!") hoping - praying - that I could call for mommy and she would see you wobble like an orangutan leaving the pub. You just weren't having any of it.
Until last night. You were doing your usual routine of walking all the way around the room holding everything you could get your paws on until you came to me. With mommy standing in the middle of the room, I led you with one hand part of the way out in to the room.
And let go.
You didn't hesitate for an instant. With one big step, you walked to your mommy. You giggled; mommy cried; daddy breathed one big sigh of relief.
You'll take other big steps in your lifetime - in to a pool, on a baseball field, graduation, etc. There will only be one that will be any bigger than this moment you just shared with us - the day you walk down the aisle of the church to give your life to Christ. There will be many so called baby steps to that point - Sunday School, Big church, VBS, praying each night. But that one first step out in to the aisle... that's the big one. There's more to that step than just movement. It's a sign to everybody that you are choosing to live your life for the One who gave His for all of us. And that's the step we'll be waiting on.
Loves my Pork Chop,
Daddy
A few weeks ago now, I saw you do one of the most incredible things of your young life to date. You'd been pulling yourself up on everything you could crawl to, but hadn't quite taken that first step without holding on to something. On this day, however, you saw the Ring of Much Tastiness taunting you on the piano bench, which was in between you and the Box of Buttons and Moving Pictures. I watched as you wrinkled that face of yours, knowing that one of two possible scenarios was about to occur - you were about to take your first step, or you were making a large deposit in your diaper.
And then, you let go of the chair, crossed one ham over the other, and planted your foot on the ground, still not holding anything. Three things were learned that day: 1) you could let go and move someplace else - more exploring! and 2) Daddy could win the Olympic high jump from the seated position (what can I say? I've got a strong butt).
Oh, and the 3rd thing? That sometimes, even when everything is going wonderfully right, things go suddenly go horribly wrong. Your crossover step was magnificent, but what you didn't account for was the awkward position it left you in. No more than a half a second after you took that one step, you tried to take another to catch your balance... and face planted on a toy.
Through all the tears though, it wasn't lost on me that you had still taken your first steps... and done it without mommy. For weeks I tried to goad you in to doing it again, setting up simplistic scenarios ("Look! No toys on the floor!") hoping - praying - that I could call for mommy and she would see you wobble like an orangutan leaving the pub. You just weren't having any of it.
Until last night. You were doing your usual routine of walking all the way around the room holding everything you could get your paws on until you came to me. With mommy standing in the middle of the room, I led you with one hand part of the way out in to the room.
And let go.
You didn't hesitate for an instant. With one big step, you walked to your mommy. You giggled; mommy cried; daddy breathed one big sigh of relief.
You'll take other big steps in your lifetime - in to a pool, on a baseball field, graduation, etc. There will only be one that will be any bigger than this moment you just shared with us - the day you walk down the aisle of the church to give your life to Christ. There will be many so called baby steps to that point - Sunday School, Big church, VBS, praying each night. But that one first step out in to the aisle... that's the big one. There's more to that step than just movement. It's a sign to everybody that you are choosing to live your life for the One who gave His for all of us. And that's the step we'll be waiting on.
Loves my Pork Chop,
Daddy
posted by misawa at 3:03 PM
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