Today I took Braylen to lunch at the same park we used to visit when he was my little boy. On game day Derek and I like to take him out to eat--either with us or with grandparents. Today it was just me.
When he was little we used to sit on a blanket and watch the squirrels while eating our lunch. Today we sat at a picnic table and watched the cars drive by and the kids play on the playground. He's already driving on a learner's permit. Before we know it he'll be driving by himself. I looked at the flower garden we used to walk through and the rose bushes he used to admire as a small child. Then I looked at my 15 year old son sitting across from me and tried really hard to wrap my head around the fact that this is the same boy who used to gingerly touch rose petals and ask me to go on the slides with him. He is the same boy, but he is not the same boy.
My favorite memory from that park is walking with Braylen on sidewalks covered in leaves. His little 2 year old self looked at me just as a leaf fell from the tree to land on his head. We held hands and I marveled at the gift of being his mom. Soon I would become a mom to our second little boy. But in that moment, I was only Braylen's mommy.
Today I am so busy doing things that moms of older kids do. It is easy to forget what those early years were like. Funny, how visiting a park can bring it all back. :) I'm pretty sure I found Memory Lane today. Braylen and I walked on it at the park. :)
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