Today is a grand celebration for our firstborn. The
Riot project he was senior engineer for in Dublin has their grand opening and he is on site. His wife Amy went too, to join the festivities around a nearly impossible job well done, in an economy rife with supply chain issues and the nimbus cloud of a pandemic. He worked incredibly hard with unrealistic deadlines, and it is ready to
launch.
How often in life do we get to enjoy the triumphant completion of an unruly goal, on another continent no less? Not often, it turns out.
The cherry on the top is the fact that it is his birthday. As he rolls into the fifth decade of his time on this planet, Lukas can pause just long enough to enjoy the view afforded him from the crest of this wave. It is not the last one, certainly, and the adrenaline rush is well earned.
I admit that I sent no present to commemorate the day. I feel some guilt around that, and yet I expect he forgives me. I have never been hugely adept at gifting him, though the reverse is not true. One year he arrived unannounced for my birthday, sending me into a fit of tears over the surprise. Another year he masterminded a trip for me to visit him in California and his brother in Portland, nailing all those travel details that befuddle me. Then there was the big screen that shows a
slideshow of my favorite photos all day every day.
I suppose there is no adequate gift bag in which to nestle the proof of my affection. For today it is my prayer that he knows the depth of my love.