Our first grandson is due any day now, and I can’t help but reminisce about his father, our son, and speculate about who this precious little boy will become in life. 

The memories.  I still chuckle when I think of some of the antics of Thomas and his twin brother, Jonathan.  Sometimes, quite honestly, I’m embarrassed to admit how they got the best of me, or how inept I was at parenting.  The day one of the parishioners (they are PK’s) shook her head in distress and asked if they were “normal.”  Another day, waiting my turn in line at the bank, the teller shuffled the requested cash and muttered tersely, “do they ever shut up?”

In spite of my parenting foibles, I am proud to announce how wonderfully they have turned out.  And ironically, they both put those talkative tendencies to great use.  Tom is an inspiring and eloquent Bible teacher, and Jon is a prolific and creative composer and songwriter.

Now bring on my first grandson!  As my husband always said during the most boisterous times, “be glad they are not dull.” 

In honor of poetry month, and the inventive possibilities that lead to an adventurous and inquisitive life, I offer this poem I wrote some years back for my science students.

BLAST OFF