a glimpse into the future

what do you see when you look at this picture?

i see my future.
i see his future.
i see letting go of fear.
i see my little boy growing up.

here's the story:
this past weekend my father-in-law took jordan to pick up his car.  it's a car that jordan will work on and build up to drive when he gets his license.  my father-in-law is a mechanic and did the same thing with bobby when he was a kid.  bobby is the proud owner, and builder, of a 68 camaro that he drove in high school and college and in our early years of marriage. (right now it is parked on the side of the house in need of a few repairs.)  the point is that this car will be earned through hard work and knowledge.  it's great that jordan will know the ins and outs of how this car runs and goes together.

after they bought it they came by our house so we could look at it.  and we were impressed.  it's a 67 volkswagen beetle.  it has a lot of the original parts and is in awesome shape.  even the paint job looks good.

jordan looks good too.  but it's hard for me to see him driving it.  i know he only turned 13 two weeks ago but those 13 years flew by.  3 more years will go by in the blink of an eye and then he will be responsible for the keys to this automobile.  

he is so proud of this car.  and i know he will take care of it and be a good driver.  the kids are always asking me questions about traffic laws and what things mean.  double yellow vs. double double yellow, dash vs. solid.  sometimes they have me stumped.  maybe it would be a good idea to brush up on traffic safety, it wouldn't hurt.

i also got this photo.

and then i saw the three of them going to high school or off on a road trip together.  somewhere fun and full of adventure.  or going to a party. i'm sure there will be more people in the car as well.  the thought of that makes me even more nervous.

i hope he is a safe driver.
i hope he doesn't get distracted.
i hope he doesn't text or talk on the phone.
i hope he never drinks and then gets behind the wheel.
i hope he is considerate of others.
i hope he never has an accident.
i hope he never causes an accident.
i hope he never runs out of gas.

i always tell the kids that driving is something serious.  you have to be aware of so many things and be on your toes at all times.  last week while driving jordan to a basketball game i was talking to my mom who was sitting in the passenger seat.  sofia yelled out from the back seat, "mom stop talking.  you need to focus on the road."  see, they are learning.

i think about what adventures this car will take him on.   how many times will he drive away as i pray that he gets to his destination safely?  what dates will he take this on?  who will sit in that passenger seat?  what college will he drive it to?  excuse me while i get a tissue...

i know for now there is still time to prepare myself, to teach him and to get us both ready.  that's all i can think about right now.

and this little girl has a while to go so she better not be getting any ideas.