I hugged my little boy last Saturday!
Well, he’s not a little boy any more–he towers almost a foot higher than me, and when I do hug him my hands barely touch on the other side.
Minutes before this picture was taken the big one in the middle was crushed in a hug by the little one on the left!
But I hugged him, nonetheless, and I basked in his presence for an entire 20 minutes.
I couldn’t stop smiling.
I miss my boy, and it was fairly obvious to everyone else around us at the Wake Forest football stadium in Winston-Salem, NC, last weekend.
The hubs and I made a two-part journey from our Louisville home to West Virginia and then on to Winston-Salem to watch the Army Black Knights take on the Wake Forest Demon Deacons.
That’s not entirely true. The Hubs was there to watch the football game. I, apparently, was there to watch number 55, even if he didn’t step foot on the field.
Another momma and her boy traveled with us to the game. Army is recruiting her quarterback son, and they wanted to check out the team on the road. Even though the Black Knights fell to the Demon Deacons, he left the stadium with a new conviction to complete the application process for the United States Military Academy.
His momma left with a new understanding of what being a West Point Mom would mean for her.
As we stood outside the stadium talking with my football player after the game, she pulled him aside and enlightened him to my pride. “Your mom really loves you, you know. It made me cry watching her watch you. She never watched the game. She only watched you.”
It’s true.
See that grin? That’s my boy!
I try to grasp every single second of my son. I didn’t watch most of the action on the field. I used the zoom lens on my camera to find the only player I cared about, and when he saw me seeing him, he flashed me the goofy grin he knows I love. I caught it on film, and I remember how my heart warmed and my smile grew.
When I grasped him firmly in my arms after the game, I knew the long drive and the exhausting weekend was worth it.
I hugged my boy last Saturday, and I am grasping on to the memory until I see him again.
Stiletto Momma
PS. Through a fellow writer of the blog My Awesome Olive Shoots, I’ve discovered Five Minute Friday. If you’re a blogger, join us every week for a few minutes of blogging inspiration!
Stiletto Momma 
How beautiful to delight in the inheritance the Lord has given you!
I absolutely LOVE your post. My son is only three, and I can only IMAGINE the pride you feel, but I can relate to that moment (or more accurately, ALL The moments) that we spend as moms searching for our kids, the only ones that really matter. 😉
Loved your post. Your love for your son is so obvious in every word you write about him.
I’m dropping in from Five Minute Friday. This brought tears to my eyes, my initial thought of “grasp” also lead to my son. He is only 11 now, and how the time has already flown! Enjoyed reading this. 🙂
Thanks! Enjoy every minute with your son. They grow up so fast!
Very much liked this post.
I understand this. As a West Point mama I know that we will travel as far as we can to be near our cadets. Even though mine has graduated, that feeling of spotting your boy and having that special moment, that look from mom to son, I would travel to the ends of the earth for that. I’m really excited to read more and thrilled to read your FMF! Beautiful post!