Youth Of Today

I went back to Rockford this weekend to visit my family and Adam and his boys. Maintaining the connection with my oldest friend and watching his boys grow up has been one of the great honors and pleasures of my life. Perhaps some might view it as mundane, biology plus biology, but being a part of Ethan and Eli's lives, being there as they learn and grow and develop interests is truly miraculous. Ethan read us a book at dinner and as a fourth grader his reading is more sophisticated than mine was in middle school. Eli has shot up like a weed since I saw him over the summer and is now in kindergarten and clearly flourishing. Adam and I watched the Cubs game while the boys watched BMX videos, Ethan's new obsession.

Also got to catch up with my sister and spend some time with my niece Maris. They were in town to take some family photos and my mom and I went along to help. It's a real incredible thing to witness and be a part of, new life and growth, where even something as gross as baby puke seems wonderful.

Perhaps because I'm getting older and biologically more interested in children or perhaps, inevitably, with age comes perspective and I've come to see the beauty in coos and crawlings, in little victories and childhood defeats. Been able to truly see and appreciate all the small changes, insights, and progress kids make as they grow. It's such a gift and I'm so grateful to have such wonderful friends and family and doubly grateful I'm in a position I can show up and be apart of the next generation.