Tuesday Night

It's become a Tuesday night tradition copied from a friend. One parent and one child leave the house. A few dollars in their pocket as spending money and a few hours to spend together. We usually end up at a venue that sells ice cream. One week it was the half price bookstore, another the secondhand game store.

Last week, it was my eldest and I who ventured out. We had big plans of picking out a Christmas present and then having ice cream. When we got out of the car at the store, I instinctively reached for his hand. We walked hand in hand into the store. It wasn't until we were inside that I realized his hand was still in mine. We were browsing when he let go of my hand to reach for a book.

His action drew my attention to how old he looked. It seems like only a few days ago I was teaching our baby to clap his pudgy hands. Are those same hands now too old to hold? I waited; wondering if he would reach for me. I watched him as he scanned the cover of a book. He devoured the words and turned to me. As he mentioned that it seemed like a good choice for a friend, he took my hand in his.


Seth told me it won't be long before my oldest son won't reach for my hand as we walk into the ice cream shop. "Enjoy it while it lasts," he said.

I cherished each moment.