Thirteen Years Ago

--napping with Scout. his concussion made him very tired.


Thirteen years ago tonight, I was in labor. I paced and paced all night, letting Clay sleep because he had just come off nights and I knew I'd need him later. I took a hot bath, a shower, tried to get comfortable as the pain was so great.

Finally at 8am I awakened him and we called the doc. I was dilated to an 8 after we raced to the hospital. I was so uncomfortable in the Porsche. I was too big for that little car, believe me.

Maxwell was born, and when they put him in the little plastic tub, he turned himself over. His long legs looked so muscular. I worried constantly that he would flip himself out of that tub!

Fast forward thirteen years. He's had a rough week. He has spent the last 10 days overcoming his second football concussion. We are awaiting an expert opinion from one of the docs, but I am fairly certain his football career is over.

He worked so very hard to be an awesome wide receiver. There were very few defenders who could keep pace with him, and the quarterback knew just where to throw it to make Max look like a superstar. The crowd would hold their collective breath and then burst into crazy cheers when he caught the ball to score.

We'll miss football. I'll miss seeing him out there succeeding. But as he and I have discussed, God closes one door but opens three others. He is interested in Karate, Tennis, and Cross Country. Each of these fits his runner's body much better than football. I look forward to what he will accomplish next.

Tonight his teachers said he is a scholar and a gentleman. I am so proud. Thank you Lord for the blessing of this very special person. I am quite relieved that he won't be injured by football again.