Is was twenty one years ago today that Jason came into
our lives. Jason was the quiet one even before he was born. He was very restful
before he breathed his first breath unlike his maniac brother. Justin was always moving, often reminding us
of the creature in the movie “Alien.” It wouldn’t be a surprise to see a foot
or a hand trying to push its way our of Julia’s stomach. Jason, on the other
hand, was content to just relax in the warmth that the womb provided.
Their personalities didn’t change a great deal after they
were born. Justin was always moving,
refusing to sleep. He walked at seven months and would climb anything that
wasn’t moving. Jason also walked at a fairly early age (nine months) but he did
it in a more cautious manner. Justin would fly across the room, invariably
smashing his face into something while Jason was steady and
calculating in his movements.
When Justin would jump onto our bed, he would
immediately stand up and analyze his chances of death if he jumped off, then dive. Jason was fine getting up there, but would
more likely take his time getting down not risking life and limb like his
brother. There was never a minute that
Justin was clean. It seemed the second we put his clothes on him, they were
filthy. Jason was just the opposite.
There were times that he would get a little water on his shirt before going to
school and he would have to change it to stay perfect.
Justin was well known in the neighborhood for his antics
with his toy cars. If they lasted three
months without some type of cataclysmic accident, it was only because he forgot
about it. You have no idea how many die cast cars I found in the back yard that
looked like they had found the business side of a sledge hammer. Jason would
line his cars up in straight lines just to make sure they all looked good.
When Jason was two years old, he had a vocabulary of five
wolds, highlighted with the usage of the word, “no.” Justin would talk your
ear off at two which is probably why Jason didn’t have to talk much when he
turned two. He had Justin to interpret his grunts and as a result didn’t need
to talk. We were so concerned that we took him to a speech and hearing clinic
to see if he had hearing loss. Instead, we were told that he had an excellent
vocabulary and was just too stubborn to talk. For years this has been an area
of discussion between Julia and myself as to whom he got that from.
When each of the boys turned three, we took them for formal
portraits in keeping with the tradition started by Julia’s family, taking each
of the children on their third birthday to get their picture
taken. Justin practically ran the
photographer out of film. He loved being in front of the camera, often posing
himself without a hint. Jason had to be coaxed to even smile for the camera.
The day could not have been over quickly enough.
It has now been 18 years since that third birthday. Each
of the boys have changed in their own way. Justin became the fashion plate with
gym shoes matching the color of his shirt and Jason became the kid that you
would only see in gym shorts, a baseball tournament tee shirt and one pair of Nikes all in white and black. But, I guess we all change at our own pace.
There is no one template that we follow.
When Jason went away to school we began to see him
change. Although he went to South Dakota
to play football, it was probably an injury the first week of spring practice
that began the change. It seems Jason learned more outside the classroom than
he necessarily did inside. When he returned and made the decision to not return
we began to see subtle changes in our quiet son.
Instead of tying all of his friends to the particular
sport he was playing he started to branch out. He still had friends from high
school football, but he started to make friends at the gym and at church. When
he started a job as a student ambassador at his college he added his fellow
workers to the mix. But the biggest change came in his interactions with other
people. Being forced to be on stage with others during student orientations, he
became less reserved and more outgoing.
He then decided to expand his gym workouts to enter a
Physique competition. This forced him to go on stage in front of 1,000 people
wearing just a pair of shorts. If that
doesn’t force you to break out of a shell, I don’t know what would. Then given
an opportunity to begin an internship where I work, he had the opportunity to
speak with hundreds of our associates before our biggest event of the year. At
that event, he was a spokesperson for our IsaBody Challenge speaking to many of
the 10,000 people in attendance.
Now at 21, the boy we thought might have a hearing
problem, has grown into a man that will likely make his living talking to
people about nutrition. It is amazing how we change in life and what molds
those changes. I cannot say how proud we are of both of our boys as they have
become their own people. Jason might actually be happy to get his picture taken
now.
It has been a while since I have written as I have just
enjoyed my renewed good health. I have
been off of chemo for over a year now and my most recent test all came back
with good results. As I have often said,
you should use every moment of your life to enjoy the gifts we have been given.
I feel like I have been given additional years that I fully intend to take
advantage of. I might even find time to write now and then.
