Adam

It’s funny how a simple phone call can make you realize what‘s important. For instance, I had just sat down to work on this weeks column. I was having trouble deciding what to write about. I’m still steaming over Governor Sebelius using Greensburg as an excuse to take a political cheap shot at Bush. For a woman who’s made very few political mistakes, she really blew this one. She had the chance to be to Kansas, what Rudy Giuliani was to New York City after 9-11. The response the tornado was immediate and massive. She could’ve been a National hero. Sorry Governor, but that was really stupid. I thought about writing about that.
I also considered writing about a family gathering we’re planning next weekend at my sister-in-law’s house. I can’t begin to explain how nervous this makes me. People accuse me of being opinionated, you ought to meet my wife! There’s Karen, the Christian conservative. Donna, the feminist liberal. Bill, the Priest, and then there’s Joe, well you know Joe. To top it off, my parents from Arizona are going to be there. My mom is a little on the liberal side and my dad hates to talk politics. I don’t think we’ve ever gotten together without a good, heated, political debate. I’ve explained before that we prefer to call them debates rather than call it what it really is. A white trash brawl.
Who knows, I might even start it this year. My niece Audrey, the daughter of Karen the conservative has a boyfriend. He seems like a nice guy I guess. But Karen tells me he likes to wear an “OBAMA FOR PRESIDENT” t-shirt when he’s at her house. I’m looking for a t-shirt that says something like “REMEMBER, OBAMA’S A MUSLIM!” That ought to at least get things started.
I was leaning toward writing about the Governor’s cheap shot when my son-in-law called to ask if I wanted to go to Jardine Middle school with him and my grandson, Adam. It seems Adam finally learned how to ride his bike. He had a hard time with it last year and pretty much gave up on the whole stupid idea. Well, a couple days ago he just got back on and took off and wanted me to see him ride. How cool is that?
So I’ve decided to write about Adam this week. Adam and his really cool bike. Watch this grandpa! Watch how fast I can go! Hey look grandpa, I can jump the curb and I can ride with my feet on the handle bars! Come on grandpa, I’ll race you!
I decided not to race him. I was content to just watch. You could see the pride in his face as he raced his way around the parking lot. You could see it in the way he maneuvered his way through the chain link fence surrounding the tennis courts. He was loving his new found independence. I kept telling him he needed to slow down. He just laughed as he sped by. Yeah, my little guy’s growing up.
I couldn’t help but feel a little sadness though. Today he’s riding his first bike. Next it’ll be a go-cart. Then he’ll want a motorcycle. Before you know it he’ll be in high school, running around with his friends and taking girls out in his own car.
Adam, always remember this. Never ride your bike faster than your Guardian Angel can fly. This old guy thinks being a grandpa is the best job in the world.
Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net