A glimpse of parenting

This morning as I was driving to work, I caught sight of a father and son sitting on a bench waiting for a bus. It was one of those glimpses into parenting that warms the heart. Not sure what they were doing but they were hunched close together over a book and the connection of father and son was truly evident.

Often, I am reminded that our quality times with our children are often unplanned and not necessarily of a lengthy duration. However they are meaningful and sometimes even memorable.

Last week on my son's 20th birthday, he and I went out for dinner to celebrate. (His mother and sister were both out of the country on Spring Break.) It is not often that we get to spend a great deal of time together—school, girl friend, differing schedules—but we had planned this dinner together. Although the experience of the dinner was only for an hour or so, we were relaxed and were talking about what his thoughts are for the future. Not a lot of dialogue but certainly meaningful. Looking across the table at him I felt how he has matured into a delightful young man and a flood of memories of enjoyable times spent with him through the years.

Enjoy those moments at whatever age your child is, they are precious.