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It’s HJ jr’s 20th birthday today.
Twentieth.
He’s 20.
20-years-old.
To say this is difficult for me to believe is something of an understatement. See, I remember when he moved into his teenage years and now he’s moving out of them.
I remember when he had a collection of sticks and toy guns…
… when he tried to remember every piece of chocolate cake he’d ever eaten…
… when he walked proudly across the graduation stage…
… when he had a walk down a certain path and dropped his cell phone…
… when he and I would sit at the dining room table and work though algebra problems…
… when he has hugged me…
… when he was named outstanding junior of the year…
… when we went to see any number of movies that no one else in the family wanted to see (I still didn’t enjoy Elysium)…
… when he almost slipped, once, and said something more than “good night” to me…
… when he showed me at each-and-every stage of his life that he was the master and I was the learner by telling me about string theory or the Russian economy or any one of a number of things he knew more about than I did……
… when he hugs that stupid dog we have (he loves that dog)…
… when he texts The Cinnamon Girl … I am glad to be in touch even when he’s away at school…
… when I think about his incredible dedication to what he wants…
… when consider all the teachers at the school he transferred from lamenting that he was leaving … “he’s the kind of kid we need at this school” they said. They were right…
… when I watch him in conversation with “adults” and see how he handles himself with poise and confidence
… when he makes his quirky jokes; he’s just so damn funny…
… when I get a glimpse into how he views the world…
… when I remember the serious talks we’ve had and the difficult ones I recall what a privilege it is to be in his life…
… when he does something silly (keys in the refrigerator, anyone?)…
… when he, in his own inimitable way, lets his family know how much they really mean to him.
Happy birthday, bonus son. Happiest of birthdays.
I am forever honored to be a part of your life and forever proud of you.