First Moments

My younger son went to his first football game the other day. I guess I’m just too busy these days because I hadn’t thought about it being his first game until I saw how excited he was about it. We walked into the stadium and it was all brand new to him: the players in their uniforms, the pretty cheerleaders, the band that played cool music. It was his first time to be a part of a roaring crowd. He held up a small homemade sign with breathless pride. “Go Dawgs,” it said.

I had a great time watching him have a great time.

He made me remember all the things that were once new and filled me with exuberance before I got older and was too cool to express any childlike appreciation.

Remember all those firsts? Here are a few of mine:

Riding in the front seat of the car.
Shooting the twenty-two rifle.
Riding in the back of a pickup.
Eating hamburgers at Dairy Queen
Going to a theater to see a movie (it was “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang).
Talking into the church’s p.a. microphone.
Riding on the merry-go-round.
A trip to the zoo.
Going up and down the escalator at the bank downtown.
Throwing a coin in the fountain at the mall.

These were moments that showed how “big” I was getting. It’s a shame that when we really do get big, those same events seem small and trivial. Thank the Lord that a child comes along and reminds us of the joy.

Jesus told us that heaven is made up of children. I look forward to being one of them because I think when I get there I will reclaim the same joy my son showed as he held up his little sign at the ballgame.

First Moments

Remember those things that were once new?

I wrote this article a few years ago when my younger son was a bit smaller: