This evening was a pretty active one here in the cul-de-sac. My kids and the other neighborhood kids were running and playing in the street. Gracie and our little neighbor, Kate, were running around with a jump rope. They each had one end and they would chase down little Jonah and wrap it around him. Then they’d all three run around laughing their little faces off. My seven-year-old, Andy, had a tennis ball and he and I spent the evening throwing to each other. We both tried to see if we could bounce it really high in the middle of the court. It was just one of those idyllic early autumn evenings when it’s not quite cool yet, but the sting of summer has faded a bit.
After it started getting dark everyone headed inside for the evening. It was bath time for our sweaty little pigs and dusk was settling quickly. Andy and I were the last to head inside. This summer I’ve noticed that my boy gets very sentimental this time of the evening, when it’s quieting down for the day. He asked if I would stay out with him while he rode his bike around the court a few more times. I sat down in the front yard and watched him glide around on his bike. He has a specific path that he travels. He start in the neighbor’s driveway, at the top of the slope. He cuts thought the grass to the sidewalk in front of our house. This is all downhill, so he can pick up a little speed. Then he takes a wide circle through the court and heads back to the top our neighbor’s driveway.
As he made his rounds he passed by me and said, “I love you, Dad.” This always just kills me. Then he went on talking about how perfect the evening was. “Dad, this is a perfect night,” he’d say as he turned his circles in the court. I had to agree.
When it was finally time for Andy to put his bike away for the evening he asked me to “come and see the most perfect hill in the world.” Who can resist an invitation like that? He was so excited as we walked. We left the the cul-de-sac and headed down the sidewalk. He was practically running. He said to me, “This is where a find four-leaf clovers and little flowers for you and Mom. It’s the BEST place to look at stars.”
We reached a place just around the corner where a neighbor’s lawn reaches up to the side of their house from the sidewalk. The slope is just perfect for laying back and looking at the sky. Andy plopped down on the grass and I sat down next to him. He said, “You’re the first person to come here with me. It’s the best place to look at stars. I’ve always wanted you and Mom to come down here with me, and you’re the first.” Then he cupped his hands behind his head and relaxed into the hill.
We both stayed there looking at the first stars of the night and spotting planes as their lights flashed overhead. He asked me why the sky was blue, and why it turns orange in the evening. He spotted planes left and right and was the always the first to see a new star.
There is something special about my boy. He is a very thoughtful boy. He’s a deep thinker and a deep feeling little guy. I am amazed at the person that is forming before my eyes each day. He is becoming his own person and it is astounding to watch.
One day he will have childhood memories. I love it that one of his memories will be of he and his Dad lying in the neighbor’s yard looking up into the night sky for stars and airplanes on a perfect evening. I love it that I will have this memory for the rest of my life.