Father son fascination

Yesterday I watched a four year imitate his father down to the set of his jaw and the way he rested his chin in his hand. Each intonation of his voice and every move he made was copied. What an amazing relationship! Observing it is so fascinating to me. I looked over the head of the smaller one of the two as I watched them together. I quietly informed Dave of what he had yet to notice; that there was a small Dave replica sitting next to him. He smiled as he began to see what I saw. A certain look in Jay's eyes almost brought tears to mine. This man is every thing to him. Right now he wants to be him. He is in awe of most every thing his daddy does. Dave began preparing to go to town to pick up some plumbing supplies. He grabbed his belt and began stringing it through the loops of his denim shorts. Jay ran upstairs and hurriedly rummaged through the top drawer of his dresser until he found what he was searching for; a small black and tan belt. He was so proud of himself as he fastened it around his little waist. His denim shorts had no belt loops, but he didn't care. He was a little bit more like dad now. All day Jay had been with me. He'd had quite a few whiny moments. Randomly complaining about one thing or another. He had picked fights with his brothers. I tried to find the patience to deal with these little episodes. We are in process of dealing with some of these attitude issues. But even as I prayed for guidance with my little boy, I could sense that he needed something. He was waiting for something. As I observed Jay and Dave interact after Dave returned home from work I was just in awe of the complete transformation that came over him. Cooperative. All smiles. Kind. Helpful.

The incredible responsibility that it is to be a Father became so clear to me in those moments. The beauty of that relationship. God's design. The irreplaceable role.

My boys are so beyond blessed! They are learning every day from a gentle, hard working, kind, patient, fun, and loving man. Happy Father's Day Dave! Watching you with these precious little gifts of ours in one of the greatest joys in my life!