Sorry about missing yesterday's post. I've been distracted: my parents are visiting, I had a gig last night, and I was preparing for my son's birthday, which is today. All of these things are interrelated as my parents specifically planned their visit in order to overlap with the gig and the birthday. And because they had never seen me perform anything other than classical music, I was somewhat worried about how comfortable they'd be at the show. It turned out that they were thrilled. From the stage I could see my mom beaming through the entire performance, and this was such a joy.

And now today our James is nineteen years old. I think about what he has become, and I am at a loss for words. He is so confident and capable, so patient and hilarious, so charming. This time last year I was prepping myself to endure his departure to college. Now I can say that college was exactly the step he needed to take. He is becoming an exemplary man. He doesn't need me to take care of him. But he loves me anyway.