a perfect gentleman

this past weekend held for me rare opportunity to spend time with not only my husband,

but also my first-born.

 our church hosted a festivity, an all love inspired event, for the kiddos on Saturday night. my two youngers participated and my two olders helped.

that left a complete evening for hubby and myself.

 gift certificate in hand, we headed for a night on the town. okay, not really. first we picked up necessary toilet paper. then, we headed for a restaurant, where we found an 80 minute wait.  i had thought ahead and brought two certificates, and the second place came through. we were seated immediately and enjoyed a wonderful dinner. we love our boys, but it is amazing how many subjects we can cover in one uninterrupted conversation. afterwards, with time to spare, we strolled some stores, found some mega deals on much needed pants for the third-born (for some reason, by the time the hand-me-downs get to him, most have holes in the knees), picked out cards for each other and had the other read them... which saves money and I got three, yes three different cards this year. i only chose one for him.

 they were all lovely and meant just as much to read as they would've bought.

fifteen years of marriage makes it possible to sincerely not care whether i have a card in my hand, i much prefer an evening with my hand in his. 

then came Monday, when oldest and I had eye appointments, back to back. it is extremely rare to have time with just one of my boys. even though some of the time consisted of doctor appointments, I wanted to make the most of our time together. he'd asked to visit the music store afterwards, to buy some classical piano supplements, and who can say no to that?! so, following our appointments, i drove with eyes half open, sunglasses on, pupils fully dilated, across town, to the music store. he chose beautiful pieces and then announced he was hungry... what 12 year-old boy isn't?

i became aware throughout the morning he was paying particular attention to details. details like opening the store doors for me, even beating me out of the van and racing around the side to open my van door. he wasn't awkward in his attentiveness, at all, but rather smooth and natural.

every move he made seemed to flow, a normal response from the love he has for me.

such a reflection of his Daddy.

 so, as we ate lunch at 5 guys (quite the appropriate place for us, just missing the other 4), it didn't surprise me when he asked if i'd like some peanuts and proceeded to get us some.

when his conversation turned to subjects of his dreams and goals, and he told me that he's started praying that God would show him clearly what areas to study hardest in, and then to the subject of purity.

i wasn't surprised that i was sitting across from a young man, who was yesterday just my child.

 such a wonderful time we had. laughter so hard that tears welled up,

and conversation so rich that tears welled up.

as we got ready to leave he asked if i would like a refill.

as he filled both of our cups, i thought,

"you'd might as well let that cup flow right over, because that's how my heart feels."

small disclaimer... sorry for the quality of the pictures... i only had my cell phone

joining in with a grateful heart at

The MOB Society