My {Boy}

I watched him walking hand-in-hand with his daddy -- clumsily carrying a golf club twice his size in the other arm -- swinging it back and forth missing his head by an inch.

His shoes? On the wrong feet and not strapped. On the car ride there, he removed the pair of non-matching socks under his sandals.

His shirt? 2 Sizes too big and surprisingly on the right way (Usually he rocks the "inside out and backward" look)

His shorts? Also 2 sizes too big and on backward.

His underwear? Showing out the front of his shorts because his shirt is tucked into them. They're probably on backward, too.

His giant hat (also non-matching) nearly covering his eyes and flopping over his ears.

He looks at the sky and chats with his daddy about his imaginary friend "Mason James."

And the only worries in his mind? What color golf ball he was going to get!

He climbs the rocks on the course and we stay on one hole for 20 minutes while he puts each ball down the hole and watches it roll down the tube and out and onto the "golf field." Then he yells, "Let's go to the next field!"

See.. the world hasn't got him yet. Right now he's still living in a world of magnetic blocks, fire trucks that put out pretend fires, and soccer balls. His excitement of the day is saying "This many, mom?" and holding up fingers because he's figured out how to count on his fingers and it's the coolest thing since sliced bread (do people still say that?) He has pure joy in ever fiber of his little being - when he pedals that trike down the street, he believes that he is the mightiest little person that has ever existed. He's innocent. Oblivious to the evil around him - so much evil. He doesn't even know there's anything but good in the world because his world is so good. He believes that mommy and daddy can protect him and a kiss (or Ninja Turtle bandaid) is all it takes to mend a boo boo.  It won't always be this way.

Someday there will be bullies. He'll get made fun of. Someone will break his heart. He won't stop to pick up every rock in his path. He won't let ants crawl up and down his arms as he tries to rescue them and return them to their hill. He'll lose a loved one. Someone will decide not to be his friend. Someday someone will tell him he's not good enough. Someone will break his spirit. He'll want to change who he is because he'll want to fit in. And someday he'll know that there's scary in the world - That boo boos can't always be healed with a kiss from mommy.

Anyway, I'm lying awake tonight because of a tragedy near our hometown -- in the town both my babies were born in and where I used to work and where I have many friends. It has me so shaken up that I just can't even think clearly. So as I snuggled him to sleep tonight, tears streamed down my cheeks. I want to keep him here forever - in his innocent carefree world.I want to protect him from the meanies. I want him to know Jesus loves him just the way he is. I want him to trust that he can always come to me. I want him to always find joy in the littlest things. I want him to dare to be different when the world is demanding he fit the mold.

I just want nothing short of the world for my little boy. Mostly, I want him to always know that he can go anywhere he wants and be anything he wants to be - even in non-matching, backward, upside down clothes... but maybe not with his underwear sticking out.

You go get 'em, Turbo!