The First of the Three

A little over six years ago, I was a Missouri middle school teacher in absolute bliss, having a beautiful, crisp October day off. I slept in, and then sleepily tried to enjoy my usual cup of coffee, which of late had not tasted so good. Some things just hadn’t been making a lot of sense to me during the weeks leading up to this day, and I knew that day was a good day to put some concerns to rest. So, I hopped in our little green Nissan Sentra and headed over to the local Eureka, Missouri Schnucks. Once there I ran in, didn’t make much eye contact with anyone, grabbed what I needed, along with some Haagen-Dazs mango sorbet that I just had to have, and headed back to the apartment. In that next hour in that little two bedroom apartment, my mango sorbet melted on the couch as I stood at the bathroom counter, staring down at the evidence that I was going to be someone’s mother.

That someone arrived May 31 of the following year. He was given the name Jackson Edward…a name which his father and I had chosen years before out of love for our own fathers. He had deep blue eyes, which reminded us of the Caribbean Sea, and flaming red hair, which made everyone from me to the nurses smile with wonder. Even in those first few weeks, he was full of expression, smiled as he slept, and loved to snuggle with his dad, all things that are still true to this day. As he has grown he has developed a great love for people…someone once told me, “Jackson loves people, and people love Jackson.” He enjoys baseball and football. He loves to play the sports, but more importantly he loves the opportunity to be with his friends and teammates. Jackson likes to travel, especially to Saba, but his favorite thing in the world is to be home with his family. His laughter is contagious and makes the worst days turn into the best. He is as outgoing and funny as his father, but like me, has to have that quiet time as well. Some of Jackson’s favorite things are his scooter, using his imagination with his toys, being read to, swimming, and watching movies.

Through his six short years he has brought a lot of laughter to my days, surprised me with his wonderment of life, and humbled me with his unconditional love. It is my belief and hope that the greatest man that I will ever know isn’t even a man yet and I am thankful that God gave me the opportunity to be called his mom.