All of this changed today as I sat on the couch next to my 15-week old son. Britnie had sat him there while making dinner and he just stared at me with a curious gaze in his eyes. At first I was too busy unwinding to notice little Josiah until he made a few desperate sounds. I turned and looked at him, and saw him staring back at me.
“Hey there little man!” I said as I reached for his little body and sat him on my lap. I looked him in his eyes and made a funny sound with my lips. He stared back at me and tried to make the same sound with his lips.
I quickly made the sound again… and so did he.
We stared at each other for a moment and then Josiah began laughing uncontrollably. This caused me to laugh. I laughed so hard that I could not stop and tears were beginning to fall from my eyes. I cannot remember the last time I laughed this hard. Time seemed to stand still as Josiah and I looked at each other, still laughing. My heart was soon flooded with a simple joy that the riches and successes of this life could never produce. For a moment I forgot I was an adult; I forgot my age. Today, I experienced one of the greatest joys a father could experience. I felt the deluge of joy that I lost somewhere in my teenage years. I think society has become so advanced and so ambitious that we have all forgot to stop and enjoy life. I learned today that we are never too old to become carefree again. In fact it means more to me know then it did when I was young.