I have now experienced seven and a half months of opportunities for father and son moments.
Peter’s awe at things that are mundane intrigues me. His ability to be entertained by the same simple things over and over amazes me. The delight in his eyes when he realizes we’re playing a game, like peek-a-boo, rewards my efforts and keeps me playing longer- just because I want to see his face light up again.
“Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward.” –Psalm 127:3 (NKJV)
Children are a blessing from the Lord
Peter Marshall Graber truly has been a reward to the longings of my father heart. I’m constantly amazed at how much his little presence means to me. I love looking up from work and seeing his little eyes expectantly watching me, waiting for me to see him; as soon as I see him, he breaks into the most adoring little smile. Then there are his little chuckles and laughs: I’ll do all sorts of stuff to draw them out of him and he liberally rewards me for my efforts.
Sometimes when Peter and I are recognized in public as father and son, my heart swells with gratitude to my heavenly Father. Fatherhood was His idea. He gave me the capacity to enjoy this gift to the fullest.
Take, for example, the amount of excitement I felt when I first ran my index finger over that very sharp little tooth just peeping through in Peter’s lower gum. I was so excited I felt as if I ought to announce it to the whole church. I wanted to get up on a high hill somewhere and yell it to the whole world, “Peter has his first tooth!”
I know- he is not the only baby, and there are other first teeth out there. But this is my son, and this is his first tooth!
I’m amazed- and blessed- by what the father and son dynamic is doing to me.