Sunday, June 30, 2013

My son

He pulls his weight, and then some.
Despite having been raised by the two most clueless parents on earth, he is shaping up to be a respectful, thoughtful, and patient man.
Maybe he's not a straight A student...that's because he doesn't fit into such a broken, militant school system.
Maybe he uses a swear word now and then...that's because he realizes that the power of words is much greater than their censorship.
He wears earrings and rainbows and listens to heavy metal...that's because he's confident in who he is, and he knows that a person's appearance does not dictate their behavior.  He is a brilliant soul, wrapped in colorful packaging.

He's a typical teenager.  And he isn't.

He's a goddamn miracle.
He works his ass off around here.  Sometimes without the recognition and appreciation he deserves.  And still, he loves us.  Even when we don't deserve it.  His father and I have failed so many times at this point that the boy has every right to have descended into a cycle of booze and drugs and violence.  He has chosen to learn, and to grow with us.  He has watched us fail repeatedly, and he has chosen to love us, and himself regardless.

I don't know how.

But I do know that the boy is amazing.  He is deserving of your love and admiration and respect, and he gives it freely.

The people in his life are respected, and treated with love and patience, even when they do not deserve it.
The people in his life are forgiven, and forgiven endlessly.  

The people in his life are loved, and loved greatly, without prejudice, and without hesitation.  Even if they are assholes.
Or drug addicts.  
 
Or racist people.
Or abusive.
He will forgive you.  He will love you.  He will respect your differences, and make infinite space for you within his sphere.  Because it is the treatment he wishes for himself.

I look up to him.  And not just because he's six feet tall.  <3