Blessings abound...

I miss my Nicholas, my little ‘Bug’ as I have christened him.


He is in Ohio spending time with family and friends. We exchanged him on Saturday and what I can gather from the thrifty phone calls he is having a great time with his Grandma, his Aunt Dawnie and his cousins. Although my heart aches for him, I am joyful they have the opportunity to get to be acquainted with him more as a person than from stories I share or pictures I send. It is at those times I inadvertently censor what they discover and hear about this young man of eleven. Now they have the chance to wrap themselves in him and experience the instances of his laughter, his smiles, his quips, his wit, perhaps his tears.

I adore my son, as most mothers do but I forever felt he actually belonged to God and we as parents were given him ‘on loan’ because such great promise was endeared to him. I wanted to be worthy of my role since the mere thought of him was my rescue from the savage battle of eating disorders and depression. Therefore, my joy and my life exists for nurturing the person he will grow to be.

I admire my son for his compassion and empathy at such a young age. This year his teacher e-mailed me that a new student had entered the classroom and Nicholas immediately offered to help the student get acquainted with the classroom routines. He had an extra binder so he gave it to the boy and helped him get organized for the rigors of the classroom. His teacher hoped it was okay.

I think highly of him for his honesty. A different teacher told me that he had handed back tests which Nicholas received a 100%. Nicholas went up to the teacher after class and told her that he couldn’t have gotten a 100% because he missed a question by forgetting to answer it.

I love him for his incredible sense of humor and his ability to see the positive in situations. He has to wear a face mask at night until January to pull his upper jaw forward. When the orthodontist was fitting it in the office, Nicholas quipped, ‘I feel like I’m in jail!’ He continually meets disappointments such as not being able to spend the night at a friend’s house with, ‘well, at least I get to spend more time with you and Dad!’ …forever the optimist.

My sister wrote on her facebook page after Nicholas went to spend the night at his Grandma’s house ‘I miss my nephew already and he is only 2 miles down the road. He’s such a sweetheart! Everyone deserves a Nicholas in their life. I love you Buddy!’ How can a parent not be proud!

He is traveling today to spend the remainder of his time until Sunday with his best friend Maddy and her family, or ‘his other family’ as he states. He is fiercely loyal; they have been best friends since second grade but despite the distance from Ohio to North Carolina, their friendship has remained strong and steady! What a blessing both of those children are to us from all who know them.

So I miss him deeply and when contemplating a ‘Thanksgiving’ theme for my blog today, what better way to present the holiday than with a massive proclamation; I am thankful for my little boy and the person he is becoming! But also, I thank you for listening to mother brag about how endearing her son is and how much I adore him. May you all be blessed with someone as special in your life, and until Nicholas returns home I must keep in mind;

“Missing someone gets easier every day. Because, even though it is one day further from the last time you saw each other, it is one day closer to the next time you will”

Ahhh, Amen to that!