Facebook memories, shoot, man, you made me cry today. The picture in my memory because "you care about me": My 2 older sons sitting at a restaurant table. They look like angels. Their hair is done, their clothes clean, and they haven't aged to 10 yet.
Their bright smiles filled my emotions, brought tears that welled up my bottom eyelids and sent them streaming down my face. The moment I saw those little faces again made me reminisce about that time between the ages of 5 and 10. Oh, I miss that age range.
But they have moved on from those innocent days of learning and testing the boundaries of how far they could push me. Their former self encapsulated in time with that one picture will forever be emblazoned in my Facebook memories.
Their smart-ass grins reminded me of their once-and-while snide little comments. They would wait for my side-eye look. Wait for my face to turn red and turn their way. But before, I would lose it. They had an answer to bring me down a notch and force a smile on my face.
I'm right; they sometimes push my buttons. They are everything I have envisioned they would be as I raise them into men. They have respect, expect to be given consideration in return, and have confidence in their abilities and self. Our sons are kind and loyal and listen with understanding. Their strength is as muscular as their courage, and their love as bright as their smiles.
Man, I'm lucky. To live a life with them has made me a better man. I'm grateful for the opportunities the good lord has given me to spend time with them as the days fly and the years grow shorter. Their little faces, which were so small once, fit in the palms of my hands. The memories of that moment still resound in this time, so many years later. I am selfish. I want them to stay as they are in the photograph for a long time.
Eventually, they will be men, though, and I can do nothing about that. They'll be moving on, and rightfully so. They need a life of their own. I will always cherish the moments we spent together and relish in the memories that I was once their everything. But I will always look forward and marvel at the people they have become. And I'm sure when I'm sad and miss those little faces, Facebook will be around to remind me of them again.
*My family and I were heartbroken over the Surfside Champlain Tower collapse and the unimaginable loss of life. I can't begin to imagine those families' helplessness as hope and despair tugged away at them. May God bless them and their families. May they Rest In Peace and bask in the glory of God. May the families find their strength, hope, and love.
- With all our hearts, The Fusaro Family
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