I remember him running up a grassy slope with a handful of warm yellow dandelions. Such a bright beautiful smile on his perfect face. He has the eyes of a deep soul and the joy to share, before it was so guarded. He loves to pick wildflowers and bring them to me in bundles. Always he brings a smile to my face. Even now more than 30 years later I smile just remembering the simple things in this life that could bring that son of mine so much joy. He loved to see me happy and was so good about bringing smiles to my face and joy in my heart!

When he was so very small I would put him upon my shoulders and off we would go across the fields. Tucked warmly inside my fur hood. I would tie the drawstrings and held securely he would bubble and drool. We would stop at the old apple tree across the fence and the horses would come a running and thundering to us. Barely able to slide to a stop as his screeches of such pleasure and delight exploded from his baby lips. He so loved the horses. He always loved animals of any kind. From creepy crawly things to thundering hooves of horses. He was destined to be an animal take care of’er.

I loved to hear my father read to me in his booming voice from Louie' L'Amour, Jack London to Zane Grey. My Dad had a knack for taking the words on a page in any story making them real and exciting. His ocean blue eyes would light up the room with expression. He'd pause and slap his knee, take a deep breath, open those ocean blue eyes as wide as he could get them and say 'Shall we stop here and give it a rest?" Well of course we'd clamor for more!! Then he carried the tradition to his grandson who developed a deep love of reading.

My father was a wonderful example of all a man should be and I couldn’t have asked for a better man to fill the empty slot in my son’s life. So much I was not grateful enough for way back then. So much to thank ‘GOD’s graces for now. Never to again take for granted those who give so much to us. When we are so young and everything seems to have so little value. It will always be here! Won’t it?!!

The laughter that has abounded in my home for so many years from the joy such as my son has delivered to me. He always loved aquariums and we had a huge one given to us just before we moved to Montana and I hated to leave it behind. It took forever to get all the ‘goodies’ inside it that he wanted and the fish! Oh my so many and the baby guppies !! So of course here in Montana we had to have an aquarium and it just had to have a pirate ship and brightly colored fishes. I think we had three at one time. Parakeets in cages and out. He loved them free as much as I did.

Puppies and African geese!! Dang not just a goose oh no!! African geese!! Baby bunnies in the snow to warm up and breathe life back into.. baby mink that were hissing at me on the topseat edge of my car that were not the tame ones he had taken with us!! dang

The eggs that hatched on the ledge of his bedroom window and we never did figure out what exactly hatched from them!! He had pet turtles and injured birds we found a long the roadways. Always something to care for and release. I would get so frustrated at my inability to heal or help and say never again and then one would come along magically by him and off I’d be a doctoring and relishing in his delight if I was able to help heal the little thing.

Always when I think of my son, I see a bright smile that tipped the corner of his lips and then reached up to his eyes and a twinkle in those eyes that forewarned of some mischief at hand. From a frog in my bed to a lizard in the pillowcase or maybe baby bunnies in the veggie crisper. ‘They were hungry mommy’. So they were and off they go!!

Tagging bats in Mexico, counting bears in Alaska, dang there still isn't a whoa in his go!! My son I love him so~~