The Joy of Being Joe

In the maelstrom of emotions I seem to battle on a daily basis as I try to process what my mom is going through, my boys are my life preserver.  No matter how down I get - and I've very, very down at times - J.P. and Joe are there to do or say something that makes me smile.

Jude and I, as always, have a nightly routine we use to get the boys in bed.  It's evolved over time but we stay pretty consistent with it from night to night.  It normally ends with me fluffing J.P.'s pillows, tucking him and telling him good night while Jude settled Joe into bed.  Then, we switch rooms and I tell Joe good night.

A couple of nights ago, as I walked into Joe's room with the lights out to tell him good night, I asked him, "Air hug?" That's a joke between the two of us because we designed an elaborate ritual of multiple "air hug, air high fives, air knuckles and air wet willies" to use when he was sick a couple of months ago.  He thinks it's funny, so we kept doing it when I tell him good night.

Anyway, after I asked "Air hug?" he held out his arms to me from across the room and said, "bring it in close for the real thing, Daddy!"  I laughed out loud much to his delight, then laughed harder.  He was quoting me and it was so funny, and his timing was perfect, and his delivery was perfect, and in that moment, I just felt happy.

Thank you, J.P. and Joe, for being my port in this storm.