Son number one is at choir camp this week which is about a 90-minute drive for us. Son number two had his 7th birthday yesterday. Two years in a row we have faced this situation. The boys are very close, share a room, and are best friends. My older son was showing serious signs of home sickness on Monday, to the point where he was close to quitting the choir so he could come home.
What was the cause of the home sickness? It was a combination of missing Father's Day (I must say it was very odd not having him around that day, I can't imagine what it will be like when we have the empty nest) and the thought of yet again missing his brother's birthday. We could tell it was tearing him apart and causing him to blow some situations with the other boys out of proportion. We needed to make a decision for the sanity of my son.
So after hours of prayer and many discussions, we made arrangements to make the 90-minute trek, the entire family (mom, dad, 2 daughters and the younger son), to celebrate a birthday at my son's choir camp. What a blessing it was to see the love shared last night. When we got there some of the other boys in camp came up and wished my younger son happy birthday. They are utilizing a college campus for their camp, so we all got to eat at the large cafeteria with the rest of the choir. They sang happy birthday to my son and his face lit up. How many opportunities do you get to have the Maryland State Boychoir sing happy birthday to you?
Anyway, my point is that it didn't matter if we would have had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in my older boy's dorm room, my younger son and he were just happy to be with each other, to share my younger son's birthday. Sure he got a gift from us and his sisters, but the true gift money could not buy. That gift was being able to see his big brother on his birthday. And my older son, well he will now be able to make it through the rest of the week with a nice shot in the arm of family love. I could tell how much it meant to him, especially as he gave up valuable time with his teen friends to be with us.
Please remember this story as you rush to provide "things" for your family. Remember that the greatest gift you can share is love and the love that a family shares is priceless and very precious. Do not let the materialistic society get in the way of spending quality time together as a family. Things get old, fall apart, get forgotten as we get bored with them. But family time, family love, family sharing never get old, never fall apart if nurtured, and never get boring (as one of six, I can surely attest to this).
God Bless you as you make it through the middle of another week.
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