Birthdays, Guns- Boys and Their Dads

Jill and I were talking last night and we decided that we were so lucky to have had so many wonderful memories with Bo and D. So unlike many people who didn't know Bo, we had a lifetime with him. Not as long as we would have liked, but it is what it is and it was wonderful.

Birthdays, Christmas, Military homecomings, High School graduation, camping, four-wheeling, baptism, marriage, divorce, marriage. Sickness, near death experiences, war, PTSD, successes, failures. Laughter, heartache, tears, bloodshed, college, hunger, financial hardship, celebration of the birth of his nephews, the baptism of his step-daughters, his renewal of his faith walk. His growth from childhood to manhood.

There is no way I can describe all of the things that we got to experience being in Bo's life everyday, but if you are a parent who is there for your child you get it. You know what I mean and you understand how I feel. You celebrate their accomplishments and you cry when they cry. I am blessed to be Bo's Momma. He always called me "Gracie" It was his pet name for me - imagine you can figure that one out. I learned many things from him thru the years.

He was a passionate, caring, generous person. One year for Christmas he gave his entire piggy bank contents and bank to his oldest uncle because he felt sorry for him because he was poor.

That was Bo's spirit, his sister Jill is just like that too Bo's greatest champion was his Dad D. He was D's hero, D was so proud of the man that Bo had become and D always knew that Bo was stronger than Bo even thought he was. They had a special bond from early on because D understood things about Bo that I couldn't being a Mom. D took his role as Bo's Dad very seriously, he bought him his first BB gun for Bo's 8th birthday and taught him all the safety tips.

I also think that was the time Bo insisted that he wanted to learn to dip tobacco and Dad said "ok", bought him some and made him take a biggggggg dip. Bo got chocked, gagged, spit, got it in is teeth and almost threw up. That put a stop to dipping for many many years. Bo went to school and told everyone that his Dad bought him tobacco - in the 3rd grade your friends think you are cool, but the teachers no so much.

One thing that got bigger over the years was their love for guns- guess that's a Dad son thing too. So, just like the BB gun - not long after Bo went in the service Dad bought Bo a big gun. Don't know where this thing is now, but he sure looked proud of it then.

Thru the years Bo and his Dad grew their relationship as a boy and their Dad are suppose to, just as one matures so does the other. They becames best friends, when Bo would call, he would talk to D more than me. When he needed something he wanted Dad's advice not mine - I get that. In the past 4 years they spent everyday together, side by side, 10 hours a day, then sometimes we went out together on Saturday and Sundays were sat aside to worship as a family together.

Tomorrow will be Bo's 34th Birthday - I will celebrate it alone with my memories and my heartache, but celebrate it I will. I will choose to honor my son and his memory with love, compassion and respect. It will be a day that the LORD has made and I will rejoice and be glad in it, thanking HIM for the beauty of a beautiful child. I will set aside bitterness, anger and frustration and focus on Bo's sweet, silly, face.