Why is it....

...that the things that make the ones we love the happiest can also make us cry?

 The message on my phone was that he passed the Spanish test. 




...good news...




...right?




Shortly after that the tears started.  




He passed and now he's off to the next level of making his dream come true of being an agent for the FBI.  


......



Today is Michael's birthday.  Today I am remembering that cold Christmas in 1979 when I had a remarkable experience in the wee hours of dawn, rocking my newborn son, just the two of us, as the snow drifted on the eves of our warm, safe home.


I remember holding him close, hoping, praying that he would grow up knowing how much he was cherished.  Hoping, praying that I would be the kind of mother he deserved.  Hoping, praying he would know I loved him so much from the very beginning that I would do anything for him to keep him close to my heart.







I remember thinking that of all the things I wanted for this beautiful new spirit, I just wanted him to be happy.



I knew that righteous choices would make him happy, so I wished for him to be obedient to God.


...and eventually he went on a mission.



I knew never feeling alone would make him happy, so I wished for him to find someone who would love him as much as I did...


...eventually he found Erin.

...and then I wished for him to be all he wanted to be...


...and he said he wanted to join the FBI...


...there you have it, that's what will make him happiest.


...how does a mother respond when her son says he wants a job that requires a bullet proof vest and a hand gun?


...I smiled and nodded, and then I found a quiet spot to shed my tears. 


His road took him to Kansas after his mission(and during), where as a police officer he found joy in serving others, increasing the desire to be an agent for the FBI.  (Mike always loved his Uncle Dean, the Sheriff of Dodge, wanting to be just like him)



...eventually he left Kansas.  He came home, bringing Erin with him and in due time, two of the cutest girls in the world.






...and I fell in love with her...

...and with her.














...much of what I wished for Michael has come true.  He is obedient, he is loved and he is on the road to achieving his life-long dream of protecting the innocent by joining the FBI.






...yet with all of this comes the knowledge that his road will eventually lead him away from home and I will miss the every-day-ness of Emry and Amelia's lives...


...and I will miss him.




...so today, I will smile with pride at all Mike has become.


...and then I'll shed a couple of tears, knowing he is doing exactly what I wished for him so long ago...


...doing exactly what will make him the happiest.




...so don't be fooled by those tears, they are just a symbol of how much I love him.

.......

Hard earned moment...

Celebration moment with Grandma Coil...

I will miss him.  But I know when we are all together, he will have stories to tell (No one can tell a story like Mike.  Ask him about the guard dog on the chain sometime). 


Mike's life is turning into a great story.

Love you Mike!