A Huge Milestone

Okay, maybe I should rephrase that title, lest you all think that he's started to walk or sing opera or something like that. It should more correctly read, "The hugest milestone to date with many more bigger milestones to come", or words to that effect. But you know, then it just gets so long and convoluted that it stops making sense. Kind of like reading this blog, isn't it?

The milestone? For those of you who are chronologically-challenged (or whose lives don't actually revolve around my baby, although I can't see why not), today is Theo's one month birthday! I know--time flies, doesn't it? It all seems to fast, and yet so slow. For example, it seems like only yesterday that Steph was waking me up early on a Sunday morning and we were calling the hospital. And yet looking back, it seems like it's been months since we brought him home from the hospital, even though it was only two-and-a-half weeks ago.

I know that this is only a microcosm of things to come in our lives together. I'm sure those of you who have "been there, done that" can vouch for the fact that it all goes by pretty darn quickly, really. Soon Theo will be walking, then running, then skating (lesson 1: bodychecking)...let's skip a few developmental markers for the sake of brevity...then going to kindergarten and so on and so forth.

And you know, I've changed too. In all of this, I've come to realize that even though there are important things that happen in my life and in our life as a couple, there's absolutely nothing, no feeling or emotion in the world that can compare to becoming a dad. I've been forced to grow up a little bit (just a little bit, don't worry), and I've begun to comprehend, if only somewhat, what it means to truly be a man and the spiritual head of my household.

Am I ready for this? Are we ready for this? I know, maybe we should have thought about this before. Hmm. But no, we did think about this before. Even then, it was just the world of abstraction--there was no concrete reality to reinforce the question. But now, holding a precious new life in your arms, that question takes on a whole new meaning.

Are we ready? Not a chance. Can you ever truly be ready for an experience such as parenting? I don't think so. But isn't that the magic, the wonder of being a parent? And you know, no matter what this kid throws at us, no matter how many sleepless nights, soiled diapers, loads of laundry, grey hairs (hey, wait, not yet please), or other things that I'm sure don't even occur to me right now, there's still a magic in being a parent. I pray that I never lose that sense of wonder, that I never take for granted the awesomeness of my responsibility as a dad. And most of all, that I never take for granted the fact that God is the greatest example of a Father that anyone could know. We can do this. After all, we have the greatest teacher there could be.

Some of my favourite verses of Scripture come to mind here, and I hope you'll indulge me a little bit. Matthew 7:9-11--"Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!"

How can I be the best dad I could possibly be? By being the best man of God that I could possibly be. It's as simple as that.

See you all again soon.