the farewell

the farewell...as tate got up to speak and  i sat there looking at him and listening to him give the message that he had prepared my mind began to  wander.  this young man that stood before me was no longer my little boy.  gone were the days when he threw apricots over our neighbor's fence pelting their newly sided house.  gone was the little boy in a diaper that would bravely protect his BIG sister as they were sent to the storage room to retrieve something for me.  gone was the little boy who would smell like oatmeal after eating it for breakfast.  but now here  he was a young man who was ready to go into the world and serve the people of chile.  i sat and listened and wondered where the time had gone.  i miss those days and that little boy but i am excited for days to come. i guess i can say this young man will always be my little boy...