My Boy

I was walking the dog today along the canal. I swear I have walked this path a thousand times or more. It has been our spot for fetching and swimming in the summer and walking or sledding in the winter. We discovered this place when we moved into our house 5 years ago. It was a wondrous place for my kids. I know it looks brown and muddy and weedy but let me tell you, it is 10 acres of treasures. It is full of rocks, sticks, and snake skins. When the canal is empty in the winter there are old cans, lost shoes, and tennis balls. My kids will trek over to the field to explore. My little man has fought wars, used his Jedi powers, and hunted lions in this field. He has been in Africa, the Antarctic, and Narnia. It is a magical land. When we first started trekking through this field my little man was 6. I would watch him wage his wars and listen to all his sound effects. Today was an ordinary walk, nothing special. Our time to unwind and breathe some fresh air after sitting behind desks for 7 hours. Time to watch the horses and listen to the birds. Time to let the dog run off his energy. A typical walk until I looked up and saw the picture above, I grabbed my phone and snapped it. I know you are thinking what is so special about that picture. Well today when I looked up I didn't see that 6 year old boy, I saw my not so little man that just turned 11 and I thought how did he get so big. He looked tall and strong and independent. All the things you would want your son to be just not so quickly. My heart skipped a beat though when I heard those sound effects. He is still waging war on imaginary creatures. Fighting the fight and coming out victorious. So I listened and watched and enjoyed the moment. I watched my boy who is moving quickly on his journey to becoming a man. I listened to him play caught somewhere between childhood and teenager and prayed the God would slow it down. My boy.