My Kids: It’s Been Quite a While

Yesterday I went to the StL airport to pick up my son Nathaniel who's been overseas. It's the first time I've seen him since basic training in the pine woods of S.C., way back in the spring of '07, which was back when Renae and I had only been together a couple of months. 

He's the same ole' guy, smiling, and in the car on the way home so he could see our new house in Alton, we caught up a bit. He was jet lagged after something like 27-or-so hours in the air (Afgh-->Kuwaitt-->Germany-->Atlanta---StL). It was an immensely powerful moment when I saw him coming walking down the plank towards the open area past the gate checkpoint at the airport.

Now I'm thinking he sleeping (I just described yesterday) and his older sister Bianca's coming in today. Dylan's here, up from AR with his mom and stepdad. We were over at my former mother-in-law's, whereupon she fed us and my former sister-in-law was there too. What an advantage--no, a gift--to have it all fall into place for his moment in time, which shall stay frozen for me. I haven't had all three of my kids in the same place for a very long time! It's time to catch up.