This boy of mine. My bubba. My oldest. My man of the house. My guinea pig. My solid, courageous, down-to-earth, smart, sensitive man. My Jacks.
When we stood for all of the graduates to enter, I grabbed Randy's arm and I cried silent tears. I watched my boy walk in. Ready. Deserving. When they called his name and he did some move and blew a kiss to P. Tender. Moving. All the feels.
This boy of mine is no longer a boy. He is a man. He is prepared for whatever lies in front of him. I spoke to our bishop yesterday. Bishop reminded me that I really have nothing to do with this. His spirit came with him when he was born to me... almost 19 years ago. It is my honor, my great privilege to live with that spirit. To nurture him. To feed him. To comfort him. And to be all of those things right back in return by him. He has always had the right ideas, the right advice, the right stand on things. He has never wandered too far from that path.. the one that is paved... the one I don't seem to spend too much time on! He is always the one who thinks things through, including what comes out of his mouth. He did not get that from me! He is smart. He is funny. He is the greatest friend of all time. He is the greatest example to his brothers and to his mama. He is mature, responsible, hard-working and fun. He is the one who comes and gathers his brothers to kneel beside my bed to pray with me. He is the one who gave permission on December 10th for me to receive the TPA which saved my life. He is resilient beyond words. He is kind. He is warm and affectionate. He is great with computers. He dreams of teaching History. He will excel at that.
In the coming days, he will turn in his mission papers and he is so ready. We will continue to prepare him and us, as a family, for the departure of this spirit from our home.
Jackson, you will always be my bubba. You will always be my little man. I will love you for always and forever. It is my honor and my privilege to be your mama. How grateful I am for your strength, your wisdom, your courage, your willingness to stand up for your beliefs. How blessed I am to be sealed to you and your brothers for forever. I could not be more proud of you. You are everything I could have ever dreamed of. Love, Mama
