Today is my son
Thor’s forty-third birthday. I don’t know about those of you who read my blog,
but when one of my sons celebrates a birthday, it provides me with an
opportunity to remember and celebrate so many things from the years they’ve
been part of my life from conception to now. I want to share some of those today.
We tried for at
least five years to have a second child and were going to give up after May 1979.
By the end of June, we knew we were pregnant with a due date the following
February. I enjoyed being pregnant with Thor and all the attention his father
and brother paid to the growing belly bump. It was a very happy time.
Thor was a very
happy baby. He was full of smiles, nursed well and delighted in the devotion of
all family members and friends whether they lived with him in the house or merely came to
visit. The saddest part of Thor’s first year for me was when he decided he no
longer wanted to nurse. He wasn’t quite nine months old, but he’d already come
to the conclusion there was way more to life than facing mommy’s chest. He
could chug a bottle and be on his way in minutes.
We tried to
slow him down by calling him, “Tortoise,” affectionately but that didn’t work
at all. He wanted to do everything his older brother, AJ, by ten years did. He potty
trained himself because he wanted to stand up and pee. He had a little plastic
three-wheeled bike which he took over the jump the older boys did with their
bikes. He wasn’t hurt, but his bike was totaled. He idolized AJ and followed in
his footsteps in many ways.
I went back to
work when Thor was four years old. He didn’t like that even though the daycare
provider told me I was barely out of sight before the tears disappeared and he
was busy playing. I now think the tears were for my benefit because I so hated
to leave him, my last child, in another’s care.
Thor did very
well in elementary and middle school,
but gave us a few concerns when he reached high school. His dad was convinced
none of the transgressions were Thor’s fault, but the fault of the other
participant(s). It was at this point we found out his older brother AJ had had
his own misbehaviors; however, AJ just never got caught.
Thor played
soccer and I loved to watch him and his teammates practice and play. One year,
the team somehow was put up against a really good team, a select team if you
will. Thor was the goalie and the game was played mostly in front of his goal.
He didn’t allow one goal and told me after the game that he knew he had it the
first time he caught the ball. The ball was a THOR ball. His team won 1-0 and
we were all amazed the team pulled it off against a supposedly much better
team.
Thor also
played basketball for a while. Initially, AJ and a friend of AJ’s were the
coaches. It was so special to see AJ out there coaching his brother and the
other kids. The time they spent in front of the
house at our basketball hoop amounted to a lot of hours because Thor
joined AJ out there when he could ba rely lift a regulation basketball. These
are the kind of memories that makes a mom’s heart swell.
With two years
of high school to go, Thor decided he didn’t want to attend there any longer. On
his own, he investigated the potential of attending Lake Washington Vocational
Technical College. His dad was very much against this until he found out Thor
would graduate with a high school diploma. We gave our permission and Thor
ultimately had two graduations, i.e., one for his high school diploma and one
for his diesel mechanic’s certificate.
Unfortunately,
it was at this point Thor had some serious, and scary, health problems so
rather than getting a job as a diesel mechanic, he went to work for his dad.
His father taught him everything he knew, which was a lot, about carpentry,
plumbing and electrical. There isn’t anything Thor cannot do when it comes to
these abilities to which his wife can attest. I can also attest to his
capabilities because there are many completed projects around this house for
which Thor is responsible…and he continues to help his poor old mom out whenever
possible.
When John
closed his company, Thor had already found one of several jobs he’d have the
next few years. He has never been without a job since and he’s always given
each and every company far more than required.
It was about
eleven years ago Thor met his wife, Amber. She had two children, the youngest
only three years old. Thor is the only dad she has ever known and he is a good
father to her. Xander was born eight years ago, and while I loved to see how
Thor interacted with his daughter, I was there when he first held his son. I’ll
never forget that moment.
I know we all
say we simply can’t understand how quickly the time has flown, but there’s no
stopping it. Today Thor is forty-three years old, but to me it seems like only
last week I hugged his swaddled little body in my arms. Now, my head is below
his chin and his arms wrap completely around me. Still a wonderful feeling but
extremely different.
Today, as
always, I hold Thor in my heart and allow my mind to bring forth memories, each
a snapshot of how he was right then. And, as I have from the time he first drew
breath, I wish and desire only the best things in life for him. I’m grateful that
at forty-three, he does have a multitude of all those best things. May the future
continue to bless my son.