Handsome Sam Python (this is the on-line name that his cousins gave him)

Today our boy turned 7!  I can't believe it on two levels: 1. That I am old enough to have a 7 year-old, and 2. That Sam is 7.  I know that it is cliche to say that it seems like yesterday we were bringing home a scrawny little baby.  As you can see, he really was scrawny.  At the time of his birth I really thought the birth of a premature child was the worst experience that I would ever go through.  In hind sight, I know that the Lord was just using the birth of our son to prepare me for a bigger battle.  The Lord also knew that Sam would be the reason for us to get out of bed in the morning.  That when nothing seemed right,  he would be our purpose to continue, to move forward. 

There are so many amazing qualities about Sam.  He is really funny and smart.   The other day when he got home from school, he looked at me and said, "Today was a great day!" I said, "Why?" Sam replied, "We had 2 and half hours of MATH!"  I was a bit lost.  I am more on the language side of learning, like poetry and not concrete answers don't really feel right to me.  So, I mustered up the courage to say, "That IS awesome, bud!"   Sam then walked forward and said to the world, "I love numbers!"  This, I am sure, is directly related to the genenic influence of his father, he too is a number nerd.  

Sam also loves being around people.  One of my favorite interactions to watch is between Sam and our friend Asher.  Asher isn't really a touchy, snugly person and Sam is.  Sam will sit next to Asher at lunch touching, picking,rubbing, and hugging on Asher and Asher, is really nice and kind, he just keeps inching down the booth until he is pinned between Sam and the wall.  I am sure that Asher is counting down the lunches until he is off serving the world.  Asher, Sam loves you. 

The best quality about Sam is his  ability to speak the truth about things.  He talks about Georgia going to heaven in a way that speaks truth and brings comfort.  Shortly after Georgia died, he said to me, "Sissy likes heaven."  He was only 2 and a half, and we didn't really explain heaven at that point.  He just knew.  At the time that we lost her, I prayed that the Lord would explain to Sam everything that we fell short on, and He did.   I am not a mystic, but the things that Sam knew, or saw, were right on.  Sam still speaks truth to people, he does it in away that is sweet and not judgemental. I pray that he will always be this way.  

I am so excited to watch Sam grow up into the man that he was created to be.  He is pretty awesome.