My heart grew today.  I know it.

I was so completely aware of how amazing my son is.

For me, the measure of my success as a mother is the fact that he not only wants to spend time with me – but that he’s such a pleasure to be around.

We laughed so much, we always do – we waxed philosophical and we worked side by side.

He took me along to feed and water his girlfriend’s horses – with care and diligence for the animals and the task.

While there, he showed me his ‘fort’, which was actually an amazing puzzle of branches in the most photogenic wooden criss-cross of brush.

“Put your foot there – the other one there … sit here, on the trunk.  Lay back, look up.  Isn’t the sky beautiful through the branches?”

“Yes.”

When did he become such a good driver??  I found myself not watching the road.

We spoke while he drove … of the moon, whether sperm have souls, road rules and safe sex.

“I want to teach you what I can before my time runs out – before you stop needing me.”

“I still need to learn how to ‘adult'”

My thought pattern stuttered and tripped over itself.  The sentiment behind those words wasn’t lost on me.  I was still needed.  I recovered with a “Me too.”

We’ve become this team – unbreakable.

On one of the drives home I made a distracted sound.

“What?”

“Having so many thoughts right now, I couldn’t even pin one down for you under my thumb to look at – not even by a wing.”

“I’m definitely growing up weirder than most …”

“That’s a good thing – don’t let your weird go.”