Twenty Years Ago Today…

Twenty years ago, today, I watched you come into this world.
Aside from the doctor who delivered you, and the nurse who cleaned you up and checked you out, I was the first one to hold you.
I can still remember holding you in my arms in that delivery room.
You opened your eyes and looked up at me with the most beautiful blue eyes I had ever seen.
I could have sworn you smiled at me when I said, “Hello Joshua. I’m your Dad”.

I got to be the first one to hold you, to feed you, and I changed your very first dirty diaper (and countless others since then).
Everyone else had to wait patiently for their turn to get close to you, or to hold you.
I just didn’t want to let you go. The nurses had to almost force me to put you down in your crib so you could get some rest before going in to see your mom.

I have enjoyed watching you grow up. You have always been smarter than any little boy your age should have been.
You’ve also always been more than eager to try out new things. You were quite the explorer and daredevil.
The more those things made your mother sweat, the more you enjoyed doing them.
You were and still are, a lot of fun to be around.

I still remember the day when you were seven years old and you came to me and said, “Daddy, will you pray with me and help me accept Jesus into my heart?”
And that day, you, my son, became my brother in Christ.
Later that same week, we found you standing on a platform on your swing set in the back yard, preaching the gospel to all the neighborhood kids.

My precious little boy has grown up.
You have become a man of honor, of honesty and integrity.

I am proud of you and I love you.

Happy Birthday, My Son.

Dad