Old Memory

An old memory and passion has been awakened.

The awakening started during Ethan's first official Parchment basketball game. I have seen a lot of football and baseball games in the past three years. But none of those compared to this...

I was excited...really excited. My son...out there playing defense, passing, and making shots...just his father before him, and his grandfather before him.

I recently read a journal entry my dad wrote in 1982. "Lon attended his first basketball camp this summer, and was selected to the Cougars youth basketball drill team. It choked me up when they announced it."

Strange timing to read that within days of Ethan's first game. After the game I searched for Ethan. All I wanted to do is see my son. When I finally found him, I knelt down so I could look him in the eye. Suddenly, I could barely speak...and I understood how my dad felt so long ago.

"I'm proud of you son. You did great. You played defense. You passed to your teammates, and you took the shot when you had it. Great job."

I had wanted to say more...to explain that my emotion wasn't about what he can or cannot do in some game. I wanted to tell him I'm proud to be his dad, like my father before me. I wanted to tell him I'm so glad we belong together, that we can share the same interests, and laugh at the same things, and have the same people in our lives. But in a moment, he was gone...high-fiving his buddies, glowing in the aftermath of his first ever basketball game.

I suppose that's just about right. His time for old memory will come in his time.

But today is my time. And I'm glad for it...glad to be apart of this great undeserved grace. A grace received from my father. A grace passed on to my son.