Freudian Skip

I frantically worked on a report due the 24th of each month Wednesday. It seemed the clock always goes a little faster when I'm in a crunch. I said something to a co-worker who quizzically wondered what the rush was since it wasn't due until next week. Well, duh! I've been a week ahead all week long. I reflected on my week to try to figure out what had thrown my Mojo off (I mean it takes so little these days), then it dawned on me that psychologically I'm trying to skip this week, just pretend it's not happening and move right on to the week of the 22nd. Why? My baby boy turns 18 this week. My little bundle of joy, the legitimate quiet one, Daddy's mini-me, has reached the milestone age of 18. Although each of our kids were planned events, there is a gap between the first two and the baby. As a friend once explained to me, it's almost like having two different families. Sometimes I feel bad that he didn't have the chaos of fighting for himself in the food chain of sibling rivalry, because it's almost as if he were an only child. He was a sweet addition to our family and immediately he became center stage for my mom and dad who had moved to Duncan shortly before he was born. It was a precious experience to watch them have the opportunity to be a part of his daily life. He will go down as the easiest baby of all time (there really should be a category for that in the Guinness Book of World Records) . His name was chosen because of the Biblical characters positive outlook on life and his fierce determination to claim God's promise. These are traits I pray will be the guiding standard as he grows into adulthood. The memories of when I rocked him gently and sang sweet lullabies as he slept in my arms, seem like tiny specks of dust that float on the sunbeams of my heart. Those memories will light up my heart forever, just has he lights up my life. I cherish every precious thing that makes him uniquely Caleb. Therefore, it makes perfect sense that I would avoid the inevitable and try to give this week a Freudian skip. Happy Birthday Caleb, my sweet little one.