We’ve got a new friend,
I’m delighted to say,
A brand-new companion to help in our play
Now he stands glistening.
Our eyes with pride glow.
For we think he’s just splendid
Our friend made of snow.
The perfect ending to the first semester of school. “Let’s celebrate with ice cream!” Pouring down rain, we crossed the downtown square to the local ice cream shop. We sat in the warm parlor, enjoying our creamy treat amid frosted windows decorated with all their Christmas charm. Watching the few cars wait at the stoplight until the red turned green. As we finished, I decided we would go ahead and leave, and I would hold Tyson’s ice cream. I needed to get by the bookstore before it closed. Waiting for the light to turn so we could walk back on the crosswalk, the rain was coming down steadily. Tyson was on my side with Charlotte next to me and Eva in the front. Eva looked back at me with a smile, “Uh, Mom.” She pointed at my shirt. I looked down. Tyson’s chocolate ice cream was running down my shirt. I used my sweater to try to clean some of it off as Tyson laughed. “Mom.” Eva said, “Is this how it is to have kids?” I laughed and nodded. “And you always make the best decisions!”
Snips and snails and puppy dog tails
That’s what little boys are made of
From crib to bed, Tyson has grown the fastest. It’s no wonder; He has two older sisters he is trying to keep up with. I tried to slow time down as I savored transitions speeding past me. From nursery to Sunday school class, it happened without warning, with just one blink.
Our Christmas present came early that year. Two years ago, it seemed like a lifetime of events had unfolded, yet just as miraculous as yesterday.
But the faith of a child is older than rhyme.
It still moves God’s heart time after time.
What if the plans God has for you are only for good
What if you asked Him again, like you should
Segment from What If
Written by Jim Stockdale for Tyson Howard
Tyson was screaming on my side. He wanted his milk warm, not cold. The carrots were burning on the stove. Charlotte was slapping her chest repeatedly in order to feel it vibrate while yelling “Aaaahhh!” The doorbell from the garage kept dinging while Chuck was irritatingly trying to get my attention during his stint changing out the hot water heater, and Eva waltzed into the kitchen unperceived and asked if I could help her paint a bird. I stared blankly at her, “READ THE ROOM!”
Making notes as I so often do; placing stickies everywhere, I mumbled under my breath, “It’s a wonder I get anything done in this chaos!” Eva gently walked up beside me, “But Mom, that’s how you get your stories.”
I could hear the faucet running water over the books in the bathroom. The sound was deeper as I turned to walk in there. Tyson walked towards me with wads of wet tissue he had been dipping in the toilet bowl. Closing my eyes and taking a deep breath, I emptied his hands of tissue and cleaned up the bathroom and the books.
The homemade pie crust turned out well. It tasted just sweet enough, with a savoriness that made it the perfect pecan pie. Tyson sat on the counter watching my every move. I reached up in the cabinet to grab my cornmeal. I thought cornbread would go nicely with the purple hull peas I had simmering on the stove. Walking back to the counter, I noticed Tyson’s cheeks bulging with juice. I couldn’t cross the kitchen fast enough as he spat down into my canister of flour. Orange juice and water poured from his lips and dripped into a watery pool contained in my flour. I slowly turned and put my cornmeal away.
Laughter and fun and adventures to come
That’s what little boys dream of.
Brushing my teeth at our bathroom vanity, I heard the tub start to gurgle. Then the bathroom sink bubbled up to meet me. Eva screamed from down the hall as water started pouring from every plumbing fixture in the house, “MOM!” “Water is seeping out from under the toilet! It’s coming out of the tub, too!” Charlotte came running down the hallway carrying towels, “I got my bathroom, Mom, don’t worry!” I called Chuck at work, “Water is everywhere!” “Calm down,” he said. He was unmoved. “Go in the garage. You’re going to need rubber gloves and a wrench.” My eyebrows lifted.
Standing in the front yard, I locked the wrench around the pipe, got a good hold, and twisted with all my might. Old Faithful notwithstanding, the water exploded out from the pipe as the cap flew off, and I flew backwards. Confetti of tissue landed all over the front landscape.
Once Chuck had cleaned out all the pipes, he asked me, “How do you think the pipes got clogged this badly?” I thought back to the wads of tissue dripping from Tyson’s hands. “I will give you one guess,” I responded.
Yet, in all his curiosity, I find him extremely fond of me and my time. Watching him ride through the house on his Elmo train wearing his sweats and Zorro mask, I whisper to myself, “Don’t grow up too fast, handsome prince.”
A thoughtful mind and a heart that’s kind
That’s what little boys are made of
There was one last day of warmth before the cold and rain set in. The kids spent all afternoon barefoot, playing down at the creek and creating mud pies and waterways, with the dogs happily nose-diving for rocks. Our mail carrier drove up to this picture of the kids, knee-deep in mud and creek water, with Tyson keeping up step for step. She got out and commented, “If only every kid could grow up this carefree, the world would be a much better place.” I smiled, thinking to myself, This is what little boys are made of.
The Lord bless you and keep you;The Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace. Numbers 6:24-26
Dedicated to Tyson Howard on his 2nd Birthday. May God shower you with His goodness.
