Basking in the Glow

This weekend I saw something I've only seen once before. And I saw it not once, but twice within 48-hours. It wasn't a falling meteor. It wasn't a rare species of bird. It wasn't even my children getting along (which I'm still waiting for). It was even better than all those things. This weekend I was blessed by the sight of my son's pure joy and pride.

I've shared about my son Ian before. The almost-13-year-old kid with the heart of gold who still tells me he loves me and hugs me whether anyone is watching or not. The kid who gets straight As in school. The kid who despite his heart and brains seems to aspire to nothing more than double-digit daily hours in front of a screen, connected by a mouse, remote, or Wii gadget. I tenderly think of Ian as my bright and lovable slug.

My fencer!

This weekend my bright and lovable slug found satisfaction, accomplishment, and sheer delight away from the glow of a computer or television screen. It started on Saturday at his first fencing tournament. Ian began fencing at the beginning of this school year and Saturday was the "test" to rank the new students and determine whether they are ready to compete. Seeing Ian in his fencing mask and jacket was a treat for me. Before he even competed I saw that he had a certain confidence about him, that look you get when you're in your element. I was there for his first bout, which he won, and when that fencing mask came off, my son's face was red from exertion and glowing from his accomplishment. It was a look I'd seen on his face only once before and that was following his concert performance as part of the 6th grade's select chorus last year. It was a look every parent craves, the look that says "I did it! I worked hard for this and I proved myself and this is where I belong."

But Ian's glorious weekend didn't end with his four hours of fencing on Saturday. Sunday held its own surprises when Ian headed out at 6:30 a.m. to compete with the Science Olympiad team for the first time. Quite frankly, I expected Science Olympiad to be a bust. A super-long day with a great deal of down time combined with Ian's participation in one category he wasn't prepared for didn't bode well for his continued interest. But what does mom know? Ian came home 11 hours after he'd left, looking tired and telling me that he needs to study more. At that point the grin broke out and he pulled a gold medal from inside his jacket. He and his partner had won the gold in the category that Ian had been prepared for. Again, that glow! I swear you could light a room just from that proud smile.

Ian has stumbled his way through a number of ill-fitting activities (baseball, soccer, viola) to get to this place of joy and pride and that makes his successes all the sweeter. As a mom, is there anything more I can wish for my children than for them to find that which brings them true satisfaction and happiness? I'm starting my week feeling incredibly blessed!