Coming Home

I've recently returned from a week-long business trip to China, and I've been floored by the changes that I've seen in my son in just that short a time. I realize that the normal tide of change wears upon us so gradually that most of us don't even notice the changes until we're knee deep in water, but I didn't expect them to be so dramatic and quick. I also realize that I won't be able to be with my family every day for the rest of our lives, but that realization only serves to reinforce the desire to be there during the times of intense change. I feel like I've lost a chunk of development, and I can't get that back.

Maybe it was just the fact that he needs a haircut, but somehow I doubt it. He had filled out, and grown. When my wife and I measured him, he was an inch and a half taller than the last time...which seemed to be only weeks earlier. He was speaking words that I didn't even think he knew - and no, not the blue grammar that you might expect...more mundane words like kite and outside.

Anyway...this post is just to document the fact that I notice when these changes take place. I wish that I could take a step back and recognize the changes on a daily basis, but the tide won't let me...
- posted by Patrick @ 7:32 AM