christopher had his first school concert
he sang in the 4th grade choir
the concert also included
the 5th grade choir
the 5th grade orchestra
and the 5th grade band
this was just another reminder for me
that he is getting older
and while that can be exciting
it is also incredibly frightening
as i look at all the world is today
and how much of it
i don’t want
to be a part of
as friends become more important
and mom & dad less influential
i fear i won’t be able to keep him
from those things forever
adolescence
and all that stage of life brings
love
heartache
friends
lonliness
pressure
drugs
sex
cars
choices
control
my loss
his gain
but we’re not there…yet
i know it will come all too soon
but for now i vow to enjoy
that he is still my
not-so-little little boy
enjoy that he’s still excited to see me
when i pick him up at school
and he doesn’t mind giving me a hug
even if his friends are around
enjoy that he still wants me involved
wants me to come in to school
for special classroom celebrations
enjoy that he still comes to me
when he is sad, or hurt, or angry
for advice
for an ear to listen
for arms that comfort
i will enjoy it while it lasts
and endure when it’s absent
knowing that
it will be a stage to get through
and one day
(hopefully)
he will return
snapshots: life with boys 
I think I see you – just beyond the director. Oh … no… wait .. you’re the mom now! :-)
yeah – that’s me right behind his head – you can see my hair but not my face – right?? that was a completely different tangent – i can remember (at least in theory) being IN concerts like these – it can’t be THAT long ago, right?
ready or not, eh?
my heart, too, swells each day as this growing older seems obvious.