Eighteen

At eighteen I was three months into my senior year of high school and less than seven months away from my wedding day. I left but a mere ten days of breathing room between graduating and marrying. I was always in a hurry. In a hurry to graduate, marry and establish my own house hold. Always a planner, I had my life planned out by eighteen years old. 

These are the thoughts running through my head as Caleb brushes his hair out of his face and smiles at me. He says good bye and heads for work. Today's his eighteenth birthday. Eighteen? Can it be? I sigh and give him a hug noticing his embrace is that of a man, no longer a child. When did that happen?

I tell myself I will NOT cry as I watch him get into the car and drive off. But I do cry. I can't help it. I cry because it was just yesterday that I was eighteen. Right? I cry because I want to squish Caleb down and make him my little baby again. I cry because I'm a Mom and sometimes you just have to cry.  It's how it is.

Before I know it, I'm thumbing through old pictures of Caleb when he was a baby. I'm remembering his big grin and his sweet giggle. I can feel him wrap his arms around my neck and ask to be picked up. Where did the time go?

Seven weeks early weighing in at 5lbs and 2oz., Caleb was born with his eyes wide open. Literally. Surprising his doctor so, that he laughed out loud. I like to think Caleb was so eager to start his life that he just couldn't bear to miss even a second.

That zest for life is just as present in Caleb today at eighteen. He loves to learn. He will read anything and everything. He retains so much of what he reads that I often refer to him as the 'Walking Encyclopedia of Random Facts'. It's fitting. 

Not only is he incredibly intelligent, but he is also an articulate and engaging musician. At seven years old Caleb said he wanted to learn the guitar. As parents we knew that today it may be the guitar and tomorrow the trombone. So, we smiled and nodded and said, "Sure". Not really meaning it. But he insisted pretty much without ceasing that he was going to play the guitar. We finally bought him a basic guitar and signed him up for lessons. 

That first lesson Caleb walked out holding his guitar looking too tiny to be carrying it. He climbed into the car as his guitar instructor stopped us. 

"Hey, so how many lessons has Caleb had?" 
We looked at one another, puzzled. Finally we told him that this was his first. The instructor smiled. Then realizing we were not kidding, he shook his head and said, "Well, he has real talent. I mean it." 

Of course we were thrilled, a little shocked since neither one of us could play much more than a radio, but thrilled none the less. And that was just the beginning. Caleb developed a tremendous singing voice. He later began to write his own music and taught himself to play the key board and the mandolin. 

Though at times I miss my 'baby Caleb', I have to say with all sincerity, I am truly in love with my 'Caleb the young man'. He's grown into the  man I hoped he would since the day I planted that first kiss on his forehead.

Caleb has integrity, which can be said of few. He is respectful and worthy of respect. He is kind even when it is difficult to be. Caleb is responsible beyond his years. His humour is inclusive and inoffensive. He is not judgemental but rather accepting of others and their journey. 

Unlike the 'super planner' his mother was/is, Caleb approaches life with a more relaxed style. He rolls with the punches. He may not plan his every moment, but he is a thinker. And when Caleb does something, he does it with all his might. 

I'm excited to see where Caleb's future takes him. I could not be more proud of my barefoot boy...