Crazy Eight

Today my favorite little boy turns 8. He's a happy camper. He took "sports stuff" for his treat bags to his class and sprinkled doughnuts rather than cupcakes. Chocolate milk instead of juice. Bar-B-Que and chocolate cake have been requested for dinner. He isn't your ordinary eight year old.

Eight years ago today there were an awful lot of unknowns in our little family. It was a scary day. A scary time. God provided us an unimaginable kind of peace through those first few weeks but we were still left with unknowns. Worries. Fears.

I would love to say those have completely disappeared but that would be D-U-M-B, as Dunk would say. They are there and I suspect they always will be. They change, evolve into new unknowns and new worries. But they don't leave.

But what we couldn't know on this day eight years ago is what would come along with the unknowns. Pure joy.

Our son has blessed our family in a way that I never would have thought possible. He is an inspiration to everyone he knows. Probably to many he doesn't know.

I could say that in every way except physical he's a normal eight year old. I could say that but I would be lying. Sorry, he's way better than "normal". He has a better sense of humor than most stand-up comedians. He watches The Office with me because he gets it and thinks it's hilarious. He is normal in that he thinks farting is about the funniest thing that can happen ever. His quick wit blows me away. Duncan comes up with the perfect comeback immediately that you and I think of ten minutes after the fact.

His memory is impeccable when he wants it to be. He is a male after all. The details he can recall are astounding. Generally he can tell you not only the name of a restaurant where we dined but what he ordered as well.

He's a "foodie". Loves good food. My Dad recalls the story often of Duncan eating the raw tuna appetizer at Rough Creek Lodge on my thirtieth birthday. Dad ordered it and Duncan commandeered it as soon as it arrived. I'm not even sure my Dad got a bite. Crab legs are a new favorite thing. He even tried a raw oyster at the Country Club. He chewed it and swallowed. Took a sip of his drink and said, "I don't care for anymore of that, thank you". I told you he wasn't normal.

Duncan has great taste. When given the opportunity to go shopping for Easter he had a simple request. A new sport coat. With brass buttons so that it would give it a military style. He used the term military himself. He also refused the pink gingham Polo I showed him using the exact phrase his father had used many years ago when I bought him a similar shirt. "I really don't want to wear a picnic blanket"

He's smart. No, like crazy smart. Alot smarter than me. When you and I were kids our parents told us we could be anything we wanted when we grew up. They were lying. With the obvious exception of jobs requiring physical skill, Duncan can literally do anything he decides to. He is that kind of smart. As we were riding along in Casey's truck one evening this past year, Caroline decided to work on her multiplication facts. She said she needed to work on her 7's.

So I say to her "what's 7 x 4?"

And she says "okay, just a minute"

Duncan says "it's 28"

And I say "you don't even know multiplication!"

His answer? "yeah, but it's 28"

Duncan has added so much joy to our lives. I simply cannot imagine our lives without him. The wonderful, beautiful thing about that is he has also added that joy to so many other peoples lives. We have been blessed to know families we otherwise, wouldn't have known if not for Dunk. He is, for all practical purposes, a local celebrity. Everyone knows Duncan. Everyone loves Duncan.

We love you Dunk- Happy Eighth Birthday!!