Today is much more important to me than the four-mile recovery run I just finished. More important, in fact, than the marathon I'm going to run in 11 days, even if I do get that long-obsessed-over BQ.
On the afternoon of July 17, 1990, I was the first person to see my son, or at least the top of his head, as he crowned while my wife was in labor. A couple of hours later, we got to see all of him, all nine pounds plus. We had had a miscarriage prior to Tyler, and would have one after him as well, so he was the only child we would be blessed with. And he has been a blessing. A great kid. Never had to worry about if I was going to get that call from the principal that he was in detention, or from the police that he'd been picked up after going for a joyride. Main problem, in fact, has been getting him OUT of the house. He's had some health issues, and walking, never mind running, is difficult and painful for him, and will always be that way. But it makes no difference to me that he's not an athlete. He's my one and only and I'm proud of him, and I've enjoyed watching him grow and blossom, particularly after we returned to Arkansas in '06 and he got to be around his extended family much more.
Tonight, he gets his high school diploma from North Little Rock High. Honors graduate, top 10% of his class of nearly 600, winner of several academic honors, top American Government student in his class, academic scholarship recipient. It's a joyous occasion, but yet a sad one, because our little Ty-ty has grown up. Boy, has he grown up: 6-foot-5, somewhere well north of 250 lbs., size 16 shoes. He'll be in college this fall, at my alma mater, 190 miles away. It won't seem right to look in his bedroom every morning and see an empty, un-slept-in bed, or not see a stack of plates and glasses from his snacks. But he's reached the point that he's ready to fly out of the nest, as much as it pains us as his parents to let him go.
The trip to Boston on Friday is for him, too. He wanted to go there. It's fine with me; as a runner, Boston has been my goal, so I get a sneak preview of what I'll hopefully be a part of in 11 months. But my running will be a sidelight, at least until I get on the plane and go to Oregon next week. The only bad thing is, if I do BQ, he can't go with me next April because he'll be in the runup to finals for spring semester.
But there will be a few tears tonight with the cheers for my son. We love you, Tyler, and we are immeasurably proud of you. | 