If We Were Having Coffee~Feb. 7, 2015

If We Were Having Coffee is a weekly blog share and link up hosted by Part-Time Monster. You can join in the fun too!
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If we were having coffee today, I would probably be lost in thoughts of my son and you might get bored. You see, today is his birthday. He’s my first born and only son and will always be the closest to me in a lot of ways. Tony is 33 years old today and while I can remember all of the milestones, it also seems like it cannot have been that long ago. He’s a wonderful son although lately he has been very busy and I don’t get to hear from him too often. He lives in Seattle (2.5 hour drive from me) with his wife, Sarah, and their three dogs. That’s actually one of the special things about both Tony and Sarah. Their dogs are all “last ditch” rescue dogs that would have been euthanized if they had not given them a home. One is both blind and deaf. The other two have degenerative conditions. One has a life expectancy of 10 years and is already 11. But both Sarah and Tony have big hearts that they have chosen to fill with the love and companionship of and for these special creatures.

I would also tell you about how Tony, even though he was only ten when his dad left home, took it upon himself to be the “man of the house” and take care of me and of his two sisters. He was never asked to do that but he stepped right up and made sure that he did anything and everything he could to take care of us. Later, he drove his sisters to and from school while I worked and after school he would go around town paying my bills for me and helping the girls with their homework and if need be, he would get shopping done for me, too. I left for work very early in the morning and returned late and almost always had meetings and school functions to go to so Tony stepped up, without being asked.

When he went away to college, he had decided on going to a school that was an hour away from home so he could come and help out on weekends and even during the week if I needed him. But that wasn’t right. It wasn’t fair to him. I knew he deserved so much more. He needed to be off away from us to live his own life and take care of himself, not us. So I took him north instead of south and he fell in love with the campus at UC Santa Cruz. Although it meant he would be six hours away from us by car, I knew it was best for him. And so he left. But he stayed in touch. He knew that I am a worrier so he would keep his AIM (AOL Instant Messenger) on all the time. He would even put up away notices so that I would know when he was to be back. We rarely instant messaged but it was a comfort to see when he was online because I knew he was okay if he was online. And he kept in touch with his sisters online and by phone, too. They would even call him for homework help!

I know I’m boring you. I can’t say enough about him. If you let me we’ll be here all day and all night and I won’t shut up about him. But for now, suffice to say that I am relieved and happy to know that he is safe and thriving and happy. He’ll be off to Japan for a three month work assignment soon and it bothers me that he’ll be so far away for so long. He has been there before for work but usually only for a week at a time. This time it is for three months! If I could, I would get on a plane and go visit him during his stay but that’s a long and expensive trip and I am not one to go out exploring in a foreign country by myself while he is at work. So I’ll stay home.

Oh! Before you go, let me tell you one more thing about how thoughtful and special my son is. In My of 2009, I was in California to spread my brother’s ashes with some of the family. On Mother’s Day, my son took me to brunch. While we waited for our food, he handed me a package and a card. The package was store wrapped from Barnes & Nobel and was obviously a book. When I opened it, I thought it was a mistake. He was going to Australia in the fall and the package was an Australia travel book. I thought the store had wrapped the wrong book. I looked at him and said, “this is for Australia?” Tony smiled and said, “Yeah, you’re going with me!” He went on to say that he could never repay me for all of the sacrifices and everything I had done for him but he could take me on a special vacation. I was floored. I could not believe it. But then again, that’s how Tony is. Always thinking of others and of how he can help or make their lives easier. That’s my Tony!

It’s time for a refill on our coffees so you can tell me about your week. How was it and what do you have coming up next week?

My son, Tony, in Sydney on our 2009 trip.