Josh—A Grown Man

Well, Joshua, our youngest, turned 21 years of age yesterday.  Isn’t that something?  Yes indeed it is.  Some people ask, “Where has the time gone?”  Others say, “The time goes so fast—you turn around and they’re all grown up!”  But you know what?  I don’t feel that way.  It doesn’t seem like he was a little baby just days ago.   

Sweet little newborn Josh.  Yes, I made the quilt.

 It seems like it’s been a long journey.  I’m not saying it’s been a bad journey—on the contrary—I have many sweet memories of raising our kids.  Their childhoods are inextricable intertwined with my life, because raising them was what I did with my life. 

Doesn't everyone have one of these pictures?

Of course, it was different for us than for many families—we homeschooled at a time when it was still fairly suspect among the masses.  So for many years we spent almost all of our time together.  

Even when the kids were eventually enrolled in a Christian school, I was still very involved in their lives.  Most schools like the one they attended depend a great deal upon parental volunteerism.  So I worked in the kitchen on Wednesdays, accompanied the kids on field trips and drove the basketball and baseball teams all over creation.  And even when my mad driving and kitchen skills weren’t needed, and I didn’t see the kids at school, I was home when they got out of school to hear about their day.  And I won’t even go into all the time spent sitting on bleachers and working the concession stand when the boys played community baseball.  My tailbone is still recovering....

When it was getting close to bedtime, the reading would commence.  The four of us enjoyed a lot of books together.  When the older two were past that stage, Josh and I would spend that time alone—just the two of us, but it was still a lot of fun. 

 

When the kids were teenagers, evening activities bullied their way into our lives.  I must have logged in thousands of miles hauling the kids’ keisters to youth groups, parties, and sleepovers.   That was not particularly fun, let me tell you.  Oftentimes I was exhausted and the thought of spending my time driving to_____, dropping off child, driving home (oftentimes for 15 measly minutes of rest) driving back to _____, picking up child, driving back home was just not scintillating.  But I did it.  And there was some good conversation to be had during that drive time. 

Basically, our lives were full of each other.   So no, it doesn’t seem like Josh’s childhood passed in a flash.   Our lives unfolded together.  Now all three kids are adults and they can drive themselves around, which is good.  I miss some aspects of their being “little,” but that was then and this is now.  I’m ready for the next phase.   Happy birthday Josh!

Josh turned out rather well if I do say so myself.  Cambridge thinks so too.