Today is our son's birthday. This is from a decade ago and was called:
So Much Like a Man I Just Had to Say
Our son, Patrick, is forty-four years old today.
The evening we (my wife and I) found out she was pregnant, and the ultrasound indicated the sex of the child Sigrid was carrying, I was a goner. I got the goofiest grin on my face, and when I think about what I looked like when the doctor told us, I smile in that same manner to this day.
Patrick was, and remains to this day, a low-maintenance fellow traveler on the Big Blue Marble, together with the love of his life, Jena, with whom he celebrated their seventh wedding anniversary on Independence Day.
If he has ever experienced disappointment or distress, and I know that he has, he has never let anyone else feel it. There have been times in our lives when I have hurt, knowing that he was hurting and there was nothing I could do about it.
I remember the briefing at Dad College where all of this was covered. The curriculum hasn't changed in a long time; ask anyone who is a father, and you'll see what I mean. All of our teachers stressed the importance of understanding the words of Reinhold Niebuhr.
I realize I've learned more from my children than I ever taught them, and no one has tested me more often than my son on what I've learned, or should have. His smile that lights up a room, his ready wit, his unfailing courtesy, and grace (no matter the chaos and catastrophe surrounding him) are traits he has from his mother, as he could have never gotten them from me. He has no idea how fortunate he is that it worked out that way.
I hope he has a wonderful day. Happy Birthday, my darling boy!
-bill kenny
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