The Third Book The 6th Chapter - The Gift of Children

The Gifts of Children

Dec 7/2018

If you have adult children, you will relate to this chapter. If you plan on having children someday, you will fully connect with this story. Have you gone through life always providing strength, direction, and guidance to your kids? Have you always been the one person your kids can rely on for your support at any moment? 

For me, as a single father, this was my norm. From minor scrapes to mini medical sessions, to being an unofficial counsellor as they journey through their preteen years. The one common pattern is to always provide to them the best that I was able to at the time.

Yesterday was a life-changing event, and for the first time, I was truly dependent on my son for my life. We were at a beautiful beach in Belize on a sleepy island. We decided we could walk out into the water as the bottom did a slow drop off into the deep water. We were out from the shore about half a mile when the water came up to our necks we decided to turn around in the calm water and head back. It was at that moment I suggested we lay on our backs and leisurely start swimming back to the shore. We did that for about 10 minutes when I decided to check our progress by touching the bottom. Then the fear hit me as I realized the current had pushed us deeper out, and I couldn't touch the bottom.

I heard stories about how an ocean current can silently sneak up on you and here was the first time I had experienced it. In a brief moment, the relaxing picture perfect moment had turned to one of fear and panic on my part.  As panic started to set in, and I shouted to the shore for help, my son calmly stated: “let's swim hard Dad.” In that moment after over 20 years with my son, the balance of support changed to Nick providing support to save my life.

I looked at him, and I clearly remember listening to his words of support and feeling the strength of his energy. Then with regained focus, I went back on my back and started to swim as hard as I could back to the shore. All the while, I was watching my son, and we slowly made it back to shallow water. This was the first time I wasn't able to help him, and if he asked, I remembered how helpless this feeling I had at the moment because I couldn't help him.

Now it is almost 24 hours later since this has happened, and the feelings of that moment are still strong. The significance of this change of energy between us is life changing, and it is a moment for me, I will remember. I am also sure that he is aware of this too and is also a natural progression of life. Where the cycle of the teacher now becomes the student is replicating now. Words cannot express the magnitude of my realization of how grateful I am for my son and what he has taught me today. 

Thank you Nick for the person you have become and for the leadership you have given to me. As you continue your journey in life my hope for you is to continue to keep growing stronger and add value to each day. You are truly someone that I look up to and appreciate the time that we have together. I love you and keep being you.