Sept. 15 my youngest grandson Joshua turned 10 years old. What a feeling to realize my baby was taking big steps now on his way to manhood.
My son Darren and his wife Gloria have 4 boys and they were all gathered for dinner around the family table in Morgantown along with his brother Justin’s wife Kate, his brother Chris’s girlfriend Emmeline, his two grandmothers and a family friend Harry.
Every child gets to pick their favorite meal and Josh’s was ham and mashed potatoes. No cake for him, he wanted a giant chocolate chip cookie to share with his guests.
One day he will realize that his greatest gifts that day were the love and spirit of those gathered and the blessings of the Lord. The outpouring of gifts came in many forms that reflected he had reached a special time in his life
Mom had prepared mountains of mashed potatoes, a ham just right the way he liked it and made that giant cookie. Patiently waiting and watching to see when the people were done eating, he carefully put the candles on the cookie and grinned as we all sang.
Eager to dive in to that pile of birthday presents he blew out the candles and cut the cookie and passed out the pieces. He quickly turned to the presents and read every birthday card out loud.
“Look at his!” he cried as he opened a pair of fishing glasses. Turning 10 in this family meant he could now go on the salmon fishing adventure with his Dad and brothers.
His face said it all when he opened the package with his iPod! Yes he was just like his older brothers now with his own music and a speaker system and charger. Now he could download his own country music. This was real country living.
$20 bills were flying out of his birthday cards, even one folded by Kate into the shape of a jet plane. New army fatigues would soon be sending him off on his first deer hunt with his Dad.
In a few day it would be the 1st day of deer hunting, an under the PA mentoring program he could go with Dad archery hunting for his first deer.
I had asked him weeks ago. “Do you really think you can shoot a deer?”
“Mom Mom we need meat for the winter, I can do it just like my Dad and my brothers have been doing it for years.” He answered.
And so they had, the freezer was always filled with venison and salmon, and sometimes elk and moose too if the boys had gone to Colorado or Montana that year. Justin was leaving the next day for Montana who knows what might be added to the freezer this year.
Now getting back to the 1st day of hunting on Saturday September 19.
He was up at 4am full of excitement and questions, putting on his new fatigues and checking the cross bow.
He and Dad drove to Chester County where they knew a ‘sweet spot’ for deer.
“AWESOME”, he shouted as he shot his 1st deer.
Growing up country that is Josh’s life, from my perception it is going too fast. You can’t keep them little, only love them and watch them reach each mile stone. It seems it wasn’t that long ago that his Dad was yelling “AWESOME” for his 1st deer.