My youngest son, Ryan, had a birthday this past weekend. A rather appropriate time to have a baby, so close to Mother’s Day. Hard to believe so many years have passed since that wonderful day. Now he wakes up beside his beautiful bride, and I couldn’t be happier for him! Ryan and his dad and I are all third born children, though Ryan and I are also last born of the family. Of course the youngest tends to want to grow up the fastest, but the mom wants to keep them younger longer! I remember for his 18th birthday all he wanted was no more curfew. Well, he was an adult of sorts by then, so it was hard to say no. I’m pretty sure we bought him presents on top of that gift. 🙂
Because he was the youngest, his brothers were off to college while he was still in high school, so we had a few vacations with him just the three of us. Ryan also accompanied me to several writer’s conferences because he truly wanted to be a writer. (And this introverted mom was very glad to have his company back then!) I must say, he has become quite the writer in the years since, and I believe his stories will touch the lives of those who read them someday.
A lot of memories accompany my thoughts of this son–from his favorite childhood imaginative play to his teenage antics to his music composition to the wild surprise engagement party he threw the day he asked his sweetheart to marry him.
Probably my favorite memory or at least one I hold close to my heart is the day he told me he didn’t quite understand what it meant to be a Christian. He was somewhere around eight or ten at the time, and the best way I could think to explain it was through story. So I let him read a story I had written that did just that, and that story opened his eyes to see Jesus.
He has learned and grown a lot since then, of course, and formed his faith based on his own study, not just my simple story. And I appreciate the man he has become, the man he still aspires to be. I could not be prouder on this day, his birthday. And I’ve very glad God added him to our family.
Happy Birthday, Ryan!
