How did this happen? Where did those sweet chubby cheeks go? Since his 13th birthday he grew about a foot, his voice dropped and our sweet little boy turned into a young man. 

He is still sweet, especially to his little sister. But he is way taller than me and that just changes things. 

I remember when an ear ache was my biggest worry about Jack. And now he is all grown up and all I want is for him to stay true to his kind heart. There is a lot to worry about when raising a young man today. 

I worry that he may push it too much on his dirt bike, or taking a ski jump. I worry that he may say yes to that one party that gets out of control. He is a teenage boy and the fact is their brains are just not capable of making good choices all the time.

For me my love for our children just spills out of my heart and in some ways overwhelms me, almost consumes me. I’m always trying to find balance with work, with time with Jason and friends. But these kids, they do mean so much to me and so I worry. Because that is what fear does to us.

My meditation practice has taught me to replace worry with love. Worry really is just when we let our thoughts run ahead of us. When we can stay in the present moment there isn’t room for worry.

So this is what I try to do. Stay present to enjoy every moment with them.

I love to embarrass him with hugs and kisses whenever I can. And I just hope, I hope and pray that he makes good choices, stays true to his heart and celebrates many, many birthdays. Happy Birthday Jack.