Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Luke's 5th Birthday

November 25, 2009

Dear Luke:

Today is your fifth birthday. As I reflect back on your first five years, here are ten things I remember with joy:


1. One day in Ohio, I noticed you had dirt all over your face. I also noticed worms. I opened your mouth and there were more worms! You had been digging in the flower garden, found the worms, and decided to eat them.

2. Sometime in the past year, you decided that the traditional "kiss and hug" befor
e bedtime, or when I was leaving for work, was not enough. You decided to insert a "bug," which comes out as a "bzzzz." So now, before bed, or when I'm leaving for the day, we exchange "a kiss, a bug, and a hug."

3. One morning when you were 3, I was walking down the hallway at about 6:30 and I noticed your light was on. I knocked, entered your room, and you were awake and on the floor around your toys. I said, "Luke, what are you doing?" You said, "Dad, I just have to clean my room!" You are
so like your mother! I anticipate you will be keeping lists any day now.

4. Just last week, I was cleaning out a drawer full of mostly pennies. You and Katie helped me. You left the room and returned a few minutes later and handed me a dollar bill. I asked why you were giving it to me, and you said, "I was sad that you didn't have any dollars, just pennies." I tried to give it back to you, and you nearly cried, so I kept it.


5. Our times together at the coffee shop make me smile.


6. Just recently, you have started to give answers during family devotions that indicate you are understanding concepts and listening well. Sometimes your responses are astonishingly profound! I'm hopeful for you, that you will live a life that counts for Christ.


7. Watching you when one of your sisters is hurting is a treat. You don't like it when they are in pain or something is really wrong with them. The world will tell you to "be a man" and be more macho than that. Jesus would tell you, "Sensitivity to the needs of others is actually a great part of what it means to 'be a man.' Renounce the ways of the world, deny yourself, and follow me. I define 'macho,' and that not only includes toughness, but also tenderness."


8. You laugh out loud with a hearty, uninhibited, boyish laugh. I love that. I long for it sometimes.


9. I enjoy having you with me when I'm out and about in the community. I'm guessing you are learning quite a bit just by watching me interact with people. I hope you are seeing me respect all types of people, and that you remember your daddy as a man concerned about the physical and spiritual welfare of others.


10.
You love your mother. You should! What I recall with joy, specifically, is how you help her with responsibilities around the house. You usually have a good attitude about working, and doing exactly what Mommy says.

So much more could be said, but these are the first ten things I thought about. I love you, Buddinsky. Happy birthday!


Giving Thanks to God,

Daddy