I’ll always have a special place in my heart for April 15th. The reason is that it’s always going to be 72 hours after we celebrate Andrew’s birth, or “little Annie,” or “duecey due,” depending on the day.
He’s our second son and yesterday was his day. He graduated from The Ohio State University and I’m now an OSU fan for life. The “Shoe” was packed with tens of thousands of folks and yet all that I wanted was to catch a glimpse of little Ann.
We kept in contact over text from Taylor who located Andrew’s section and had him call us the moment he started to walk from his section C seat, near the top of A deck. The minute he stepped out in the aisle, from halfway across the stadium, I could see his black adidas shoes and knew it was our son. Miss jumped forward a couple rows to get a better angle for pictures. I stayed put and felt my eye’s moisten up. They just did. In a hurry too…
My mind starting flying back and forth. His birth when the doctor held him up and he was the most beautiful baby on earth, his hands and their grasp of anything “carish” when he was first able to hold, his brother stuffing grass down his throat (AND, I wasn’t even there to see it), his familiar gait, his questions, his quiet looks, his independence, his thinking and wandering Spirit, his sharpness and at the same time his tenderness too. My Ann. My Ann, but, painfully not really.
Ann is his own, you know.
As my eyes stayed on him during that walk down from Section C to the floor of the Shoe, every so often he would look our way. He could see me across the way. Every time his eyes looked my way, my hand instinctively shot to the sky. I tried to make myself bigger as if then he couldn’t somehow miss my signal. I’m Dad, I’m over here!! Every time he would shoot his hand up in return. He would wave his familiar wave. I would smile from ear to ear and shoot my hand up even higher. It may not sound like much, but I’ll treasure that moment for a long time. I just will. Funny, huh.
Yes, we waved back and forth a dozen times during that 8 minute walk to graduation. You see, that walk and that moment were his to take. He had completed this portion of his life’s journey. He was celebrating his accomplishment. He was happy with his degree. He took another step toward claiming and living his life. And, he doesn’t know what he’ll do next…
At that moment, I didn’t either.
He’ll be alright and I know it. AND, yet somehow none of those thoughts really matter much. What matters to me as I reflect on yesterday, is that he wanted to “walk.” I’m so happy for him and for all the times we get to walk together. You see, Andrew is our second son. There will always be someone in front and two behind, namely J, Krit, and Tay. You “walk” the most with the first and the last, or so it seems. Funny, huh.
Yesterday, however, it was all Duecy due. Yesterday my eyes were focused. Yesterday you walked and we watched. Yesterday, we made some memories together. Yesterday, Andrew, was all about YOU.
Congrats my son.
Congrats…
BUILT TO LEAD 