The Circle of Life

So we spent a half-hour running in circles today. Actually, just one circle, the "loop" of our first floor. Eddie and I had just finished lunch and he grabbed my hand and tugged me around once, twice, and so on until about 10 minutes had gone by and I'd lost track of how many laps we'd completed. We did occasionally stop on the heating vent to feel it blow hot air on our feet, then off again. After the first 10ish minutes, Eddie let go of my hand, took a few steps, looked back and took a few more. That continued for most of this lap - step, step, step, check for Mommy, step, step. I followed diligently as we did another five minutes of walking; he checked on my progress less and less often. We stopped on the heater again, and he took a few steps into the living room, walking off his "track" that I'm sure is probably now permanently part of the carpet. He sat down and patted the floor, so I flopped down beside him. Assuring himself that I was properly settled, he got back up and started off again. When I started to get to my feet, he gave me a vigorous head shake, a good "noooo!" and pointed to where I'd been. I resumed sitting and off he went. Every two or three laps, he come over to me - walking up until his face was just inches from mine. He'd get a big grin and say "Hi!" (new favorite word). When I said "Hi!" back, he'd give me a big kiss, turn and go back to jogging. I hope that this is what our lives will be. I hope I'll raise him well enough that he'll know when to let go of my hand, know when he doesn't need his Mommy following a step behind. And when he's running around with the many things I hope will be a part of his life some day - wife, kids, hobbies, church, a job he loves - I hope he'll take a moment every so often to stop by, say hi and give me a big kiss.