Glimpses of the Future

Well, it is the stomach bug! This morning Chance woke up very fussy. I had planned to take the boys in to the pediatrician for Charlie's 3 year well check and for Chance to get some more immunizations. Charlie wasn't happy about the fact that he'd have to get a shot too! So to his delight (and mine) the doctor said he didn't have to get any until next year! Yay!! And by this time Chance had started running a fever, so he was off the hook as well. He cried the entire time we were at the doctor's office, which is very unusual for him...those poor nurses!

Anyhow, the doctor instructed me that I needed to give Chance gatorade instead of apple juice, so we stopped in at HEB on the way home. I put Chance in the umbrella stroller because I thought he'd be too weak to sit in the grocery cart, and Charlie followed me pushing the smaller grocery cart. It is an amazing thing when your child can help you like that! I was trying to rush getting a few items because Chance was so fussy, but I didn't make it in time: he threw up in the store. Poor guy! I'll spare you the details, but it was very embarrassing.

He's made it through the rest of the day keeping everything down, and I'm hoping it is passing. I'm just praying for God to protect Charlie and Chuck and I...

But about my title, I got two glimpses of the future this evening.

First, Chuck recorded Charlie saying, "I love you, Mommy and Daddy," then changed the pitch on the computer and it sounded like a grown man! It was a little scary!! I guess Charlie growing up is on my mind today because the doctor said Charlie's in the 95th percentile for kids his age (that's big!), and the doc said he thinks Charlie will be about 6'1" or 6'2" fully grown! Whoa! He'll be taller than both me and Chuck!! It all makes me want to hold on that much tighter, because his childhood is going so fast.

Second, I was sitting at Starbucks this evening, working on my Bible study (thanks, Chuck, for giving me the break!), when two teenage boys came in and sat near me. I overheard bits and pieces and here's what I gathered...They were brothers, and one talked to their mom on the phone and ended the conversation with "I love you." They chatted for a long time together about typical guy stuff, like video games, music, even girls. But their conversation was not what I expect from their age...they had character and they spoke candidly, comfortably, deeply. You could tell they were best friends. One of them even said "Have you heard that song...I didn't like it at first because they say 'g-o-d-d-a-m' but once I heard the edited version, it's actually kinda cool." What struck me was, they're not saying that because someone is around that they want to impress. Usually when I see teenagers at Starbucks, they're talking bad about their parents or friends, or making out with the boyfriend/girlfriend because Mom and Dad aren't around... These guys were just being themselves, and they enjoyed each other's company. THAT is so what I long for, someday, for Charlie and Chance. For them to want to hang out with each other, even on a Friday night, and talk about their lives, and to genuinely care for each other, and for the Lord. It was so refreshing and gives me so much hope for my boys, that they can make it through those sometimes foolish years. That's a glimpse of the future that doesn't scare me but encourages me in what I do...raising them!