Do Overs

Today was a great day. We got to celebrate our Aden Richard's life and the seven years we have been beyond blessed to call him our son. It was our first birthday away from home, and none of us knew exactly what to expect. At the end of this long day of celebrating, I cannot help but feel incredibly blessed.

We started the day off with a bang at Krispy Kremes, where Aden was treated to a breakfast he has always longed for. After the sugar rush, we went to a local bowling alley to burn off some of the calories. You could say Aden had birthday luck at the lanes. The kid bowled a 121! He was the master of the bumper game, much to his older brother's dismay.

We finished off Aden's 7th birthday by having his favorite dinner. Homemade macaroni and cheese, sliced apples with peanut butter dip, and I added a fun pop-corn birthday cake to top things off. We were able to share the dinner with some new friends the Lord has blessed us with since moving to Idaho, as well as some fellow MAF friends. Aden opened cards and gifts sent to him from friends and family back east, and we concluded the night by watching Chimpanzee, a movie sent to him from his Aunt Laurie in NC! It was a laid back, fun night ... the type that makes you thankful for the ways in which the Lord takes care of you.

At the end of it all Aden asked me to lie with him, so I welcomed the opportunity to have a quiet moment with my birthday boy. He talked about the day for a while then he said, "Mom, wouldn't it be cool if there were an ipod where you could record your whole entire life, and then at the end you could watch every day all over again?" The notion made my heart smile, because I knew where he my son was coming from. I told him, however, that there are no do-overs in life so we must make sure we are careful to make good choices and make the most out of every moment. I told my new 7-year-old, we can never revisit moments once they have passed. I explained this is why it is important to do what is right, so that at the end there is no room or need for regrets. He listened intently then turned contentedly to his side.

As I laid next to my son in the dark, I was so thankful for the fact there are no do-overs in this life. If there were an opportunity to go back and fix what we did wrong, I am certain I would not try as hard as I do each day to make the most of the time I have with my boys. It is this kind of mindset that transforms an ordinary, mundane day into one of the most extraordinary memories of one's life! It is the type of intentional investment in your children that negates the need for do-overs, or recording devices, because their memories of the real thing will be more than sufficient.

"Memory... is the diary that we all carry about with us."  ~Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest