Happy Birthday Rhys!!

Today, our son Rhys turns nineteen. That’s an important age for a male LDS young man. He is in the process of filling out his mission papers. He has his doctor’s physical set up for later this month. Hopefully, within a month or two, we’ll be able to announce his mission call.

I met Rhys when he was two. I had just started dating his mom. The first time that I went over to her apartment, the older children, Aubrey, and Colin, had already been sent to bed as it was fairly late in the evening. Rhys however, was convalescing from a horse riding injury and was allowed to stay up a little later.

In his typical zest for life, Rhys had been riding his rocking horse at break neck speeds. In an almost flashback to D. H. Lawrence’s, The Rocking Horse Winner, Rhys pushed his horse farther than he should’ve. He came crashing down mouth first on the horse's all too hard head, and received several stitches for it.

I can’t remember exactly what Wendy, my future wife, was doing at the time, but Rhys and I had a ball playing with screwdrivers. They somehow tied into what Wendy was doing, but that part has become a blur for me, I just remember that they entertained Rhys and me for about an hour.

His older siblings made a brief cameo appearance that night as they hopped out of bed, dashed into the doorway with grins from ear to ear, uttered a quick, “Hi,” and then scampered back to bed.

I’m guessing that Rhys doesn’t remember that evening, but if he does, maybe he’ll remember why we were playing with screwdrivers. It was a good day for me personally, and one that I look back on with tender fondness.

Wendy and I have always referred to Rhys as our Nirvana child. He is about the happiest person we know. Nothing really seems to bother him very much. He cares deeply about others, and can be counted on to help out when needed.

He’s currently my home teaching companion and carries his fair share of the load as far as scheduling appointments and teaching lessons is concerned.

As mentioned in a recent post, a lady we home teach, Kate, recently spent six months in the hospital, most of that in the ICU, for pancreatitis. I received a call in the morning from her husband Tim informing me that Kate had been admitted to the ICU. I told him that I would leave work and be there as quickly as I could. He told me to stay at work, and just pray for Kate.

I called home to let the rest of my family know what was going on. Rhys asked Wendy to take them right away over to the hospital before his classes, so they could see her. I didn’t ask Rhys to do that, it was his decision that he made all by himself.

Some children come to earth and need a little guidance from time to time on how to make right choices, not get into too much trouble, etc. Some children come to earth and the parent’s primary responsibility is to just not screw them up too much. They are innately spiritual. All you have to do is show them the way and step back and watch them travel it.

Rhys is like that. He has been a tremendous blessing in my life. He inspires me to be better as he gives meaning and focus to my life.

We love you son, and look forward to watching you serve a mission for your Heavenly Father, and receiving all of the other blessings that He will pour into your life.