You're way more than 7...

My son loves me in many ways and for many reasons.

And my daily gift is that he expresses them so genuinely and generously.

And his attentiveness often alerts me to values I didn't know I had or to hidden skills I would never have imagined. One such hidden talent is my freehand pancake artistry. I don't really consider myself artistic in the traditional sense of art, but I have learned to trust my inner artistic muse when it comes to making pancake shapes. This morning I made a muscle car complete with visible engine and verticle exhaust pipes.

This morning, Ryan woke up chattering about a Lego truck he would like to have. He's making a pilgrammage tomorrow to the land of primary-colored rectangles, and he was beginning his lobbying early for the toy he would like to bring home. Apparently the last time he and his Dad went to Legoland, Ryan saw this blue race truck and the reason his father gave for not buying it was that it was for kids 7 and older. It's very difficult to out reason our son. So, this morning, in true Thomas Aquinas fashion, he presented the known objections to his position in order to answer them before his opponents could raise them. "It says its for kids 7 and older," Ryan told me. "But you're really good at putting Legos together and you're WAY more than 7."

And he's right on both counts. I'm WAY more than 7, and I not only am good at putting Legos together, I actually enjoy it. Who knew?

Affirmation that advancing age has benefits beyond my imaginings.