Happy 30th ...

Jesse turns 30 today. There is no getting around it ... a 30th birthday is a pretty big deal! And so, we are wishing you a very HUGE happy birthday today, Jesse! I have been a mother for thirty years now. When Jesse was born, I remember thinking how very blessed I was. It seemed I had waited SO long to become a mother ... I was very nearly 27 when he was born, and the nurses over at Saint Mary's referred to me as an "older mother." (!) I didn't let Jesse out of sight the entire time I was in the hospital ... those nurses couldn't have him! For two months prior to Jesse being born, Mt. St. Helen's was constantly in the news. Earthquakes! Predictions of disaster! And close to 24 hours after Jesse was born, Mt. St. Helen's blew up, and the entire North Face of the mountain exploded. The eruption column was 80,000 feet high! I will always remember talking to my mom on the phone at the hospital and her telling me the news about the eruption. I used to tell Jesse the story of Mt. St. Helen's when he was a little guy, and he became kind of fascinated with volcanoes and weather and scientific stuff.
When Jesse was a baby, this was his favorite thing to do ... hang upside down ... like a monkey! Whenever he was a little bit fussy, he would calm right down if he was held like this.This is one of the only pictures I have of Jesse and Nana. It was Jesse's first birthday and Nana had brought some presents.
And I think (but I'm not sure) that this is Jesse in the second grade. Perhaps he remembers better than I!

In case you are unaware, my son Jesse is in the Army, presently stationed at Ft. Bliss, Texas; but soon to be re-deployed overseas for 12 months. I wish he could stay state-side, but I'm not in charge of those things!
Jesse is not only a soldier. He's lots of other things really. He is a husband and father. He loves cars (quite an understatement). He loves music (another understatement). At his church in El Paso, Jesse runs the sound board and/or any other system that needs some technical input.
When we visited Jesse and his family in March, he got all of his Army gear out to show us. It's quite amazing to me that these soldiers wear all of this heavy gear out in the desert at temperatures that often exceed 120 degrees. I tried to lift this "bullet proof" vest that Jesse is wearing and I could barely manage it with two hands!

It's almost four years ago now that Jesse joined the Army, and fully three years that Diana and the children moved to Ft. Bliss to be with him. Jobs were pretty scarce in Michigan at the time (and are even more so now), so Jesse took this step to support his family. I'm very proud of him for that.
Thirty years can go by really quickly from a mother's point of view ... and never in all of my imaginings, did I envision him 1600 miles from Michigan; or worse, 8000 miles overseas. But I do know that I can trust God to watch over and lead and guide Jesse's life ... no matter where he is. I hope you know how much you are loved, dear son!