Daddy’s Big Book of Truly Incredible Tales and Adventures

Almost all of the stories I have told to Noah over the years (with the exception being our ongoing Star Wars sagas) have sprung from one book.  It is a very rare book, indeed, as only one copy exists; not only so, but it is also a magic book.  Among the tales of Hookleg Jack, Sir Noah the Brave, the Ten Little Ninjas, and Jetpack Jackson lay tales yet to be told, friends yet to be made, mysteries yet to be solved, quests to be embarked on, and so on and so forth. 

The book seems to grow in proportion to the amount of stories read – the further we get into the book, the more we discover there is yet to be explored.  With each telling, the stories develop more life, depth, and detail, seamlessly adapting to Noah’s increasing imagination and wit.

Lately, more often than not, Noah has been enthralled with Star Wars adventures taking place in our own expanded universe, but the book remains nearby, a special treat for those bedtimes when the pirates, knights, and other adventurers are clamoring for attention.   These are the times we take the dusty book down from the bookshelf, twist the key to unlock its secrets, open the creaky binding, and let the imaginary words begin to take shape as, together, we step forth into other worlds and times.

I love being a dad!

Parent/Teacher Conferences…

In just a couple of hours, Shelly and I will be going to our very first Parent/Teacher conference at Noah's school.  This is one of those life moments when again I think of just how fast life seems to be streaming by.  I can't seem to wrap my head around the increasing brevity and fleetingness of life, and honestly, I don't even try all that often.  It either gives me a headache or depresses me for the rest of the day.  It feels to me like the first day of school wasn't that long ago, and yet, here we are, just three weeks away from Christmas!

Almost every time I walk into Noah's school, I am reminded of my own childhood, and I find myself sometimes imagining what life was like for my parents when I was young, and wondering if Noah will have similar thoughts someday.  When I was young, I thought parents just somehow knew all there was to know, as if that knowledge came instantaneously upon reaching adulthood.  I was well into my 20s when the harsh reality hit me -- they had been "winging it" all along, trying to do their best with what they had.  That knowledge was revelatory to me.  It helped me to understand them on so many levels, and to forgive and let go of their perceived mistakes.

Now I am the parent of a 6-1/2 year old, who thinks much the same of me and his mom, that we know it all, that we have a solid grasp on what we are doing as parents and as adults.  I just hope that someday he comes to the same conclusions -- we loved him fiercely, and tried to make the best decisions for him and our family.

Life is filled with the "letting go" moments.  From the day that children are born, they are beginning the long journey toward independence, and we, as parents want desperately to hold on to him for as long as we can, all the while knowing we have to slowly let him go, little by little.  Today we will be conferring with his teacher, as we continue the process of sharing him with the larger world in general, but we will hold him tight for as long as he is willing to be held.  I may not be able to stop, or even slow down, time, but I can appreciate the moments for what they are.  It is, after all, the small things in life that comprise the big things.  There would be no forest if not for the trees...

Happy Father’s Day!

Walk a Little Slower Daddy

“Walk a little slower, Daddy," said a little child so small.
“I'm following in your footsteps and I don't want to fall.

“Sometimes your steps are very fast, sometimes they're hard to see;
“So walk a little slower Daddy, for you are leading me.

“Someday when I'm all grown up, you’re what I want to be.
“Then I will have a little child who'll want to follow me.

“And I would want to lead just right, and know that I was true;
“So, walk a little slower, Daddy, for I must follow you!”

- Author Unknown

The Bedtime Train

Since I'm using this blog to preserve personal family memories, I thought I'd mention the latest bedtime routine that Noah and I have.  It goes something like this:

ME: (making train noises as Mommy gives Noah his imaginary golden ticket)  All aboard!  Tickets please!

NOAH: (extending the ticket to me)  Here you go!

ME: (closely inspecting the ticket)  Another golden ticket!?!  Someone must love you VERY much!

NOAH: (grinning from ear to ear) My momma does!

ME: (punches ticket and hands it back before picking Noah up in my arms)  LAST CALL!!!

NOAH AND ME: (as Noah pretends to pull the train whistle)  WHOO WHOO!!!!  (singing together as we make our way upstairs) "All aboard the bedtime train....."

It varies sometimes, but Noah loves the routine!  Of course, he enjoys it more if there is a story still to be told as he's tucked in.  Sometimes the story is from a book, but more often than not, it's from DADDY'S BOOK OF TRULY INCREDIBLE TALES OF ADVENTURE.  But that's another post entirely for another time.  :-)

Stocking Up

One of the purposes of this blog is to chronicle some of the fleeting details of life that can't quite be captured in pictures or video. On that note, I wanted to preserve one of the sweetest exchanges that Noah and I regularly have when I (or he) is leaving for part of the day.

Simply put, we make sure that we are stocked up on our hugs, kisses, "I love you"s, stories, songs, adventures, etc. for the day. I "put" several of the aforementioned things into my hand, and hand them over to him for safekeeping until he decides to draw from them throughout the day.

Before long, he was reciprocating and trading off with me when we would say our goodbyes. I just wish I could wrap them up and keep them in a box somewhere as keepsakes of his childhood. Then again, I suppose I am already doing that in the memory keepsake box that is my heart. :)

The "List"

As part of Noah's bedtime routine, Mom usually spends some time with him downstairs, cuddling with him on the couch and singing songs to him. Daddy then tucks him into bed, and spends some time with him, reading to him, telling him stories, or talking about the day's events.

One particular night, Noah asked if we could talk about something. "Sure, bud," I replied, "What would you like to talk about?" Much to my surprise, he pretended to be unscrolling a list, and said, "Let's see, three things from my list..." while reviewing it. "Here's one! How does electricity get to the lamp?"

Since then, we frequently draw our bed-time conversations from "the list", which has since grown into the "long list" and the "short list". I can't exactly explain the difference between the two, other than that he likes to ask at least one question from both lists. Fortunately, more often than not, I've been able to somewhat answer the questions adequately. I admit, though, I've had to just smile and respond "I don't know the answer to that. We'll have to look it up tomorrow." Which he usually holds me to!

Let the Earth Be Laughter

Inspired by the recent worship conference I had attended, I stopped at the church and picked up my guitar to take back to the house. Noah saw it, and said, "Oh, you brought your guitar home so you and me can play guitar together, Daddy?"

"Sure, bud," I said with a smile, "We can play guitar together." So, after a while, he and I played a few songs from church before moving on to a video game. Later, though, he brought his guitar into the kitchen where I was and said, "I wrote a song." He then proceeded to sing me a sweet song about sunshine and playing, while strumming his guitar.

I had heard it said that God perceives our songs in the same way. The best of our skills and abilities don't hold a candle to the choirs of angels ministering before His throne day and night, but it is not so much our skills and abilities He's moved by. It is our heart's song, expressed through a simple act of free will choosing to honor Him, that touches His heart.

Of course, I'd heard that before, and I believe I even referenced it once or twice when speaking about worship, but hearing the sweet voice of my son singing from his heart a song he made up gave me a much greater appreciation for the analogy.

I told Noah I'd like to record his song, and set up the digital voice recorder. Instead of singing his song he had sang for me a moment earlier, he decided to sing another song he wrote. The main part of the song consisted of "Let the earth be laughter" and "Let the earth be worthy and rejoice to the King". As he explained to me when we were done, he wants to write songs about God.

We listened to the recorded song together, as we began to sing along, I thought again about the precious gift that God gave to me in my son. At that moment, singing and making music together, we were continuing a father-son connection that had begun when I was a little boy listening with proud wonder as my dad poured himself into his music. I remember watching his fingers create such beautiful sounds, be it guitar, bass, or piano, and wishing I could do the same.

Now, I watch my (almost) 5-year-old son creating his own beautiful sounds, and find myself wishing I could see the world with the same purity and simplicity of heart that he does. Tonight, however, my world truly is laughter and rejoicing to the King.