My oldest son is becoming a young man before my eyes. Still my son, but becoming his own person. It happens before your eyes. Your life passes you by. Then you look at a photo. It's years old but you didn't notice where the years had gone. The photo takes you back in time and you suddenly realize how short life is.
The same happened to me tonight with a song. My boys are in bed and I while I enjoy the sense of fatherhood and familyhood that few parents appreciate so dearly, I'm ever so aware that every day draws me closer to the day they are grown and will go their own way.
I check on them in their bunk beds and sit at my desk peacefully working. My music is keeping me company.
Then a song plays that triggers a fond emotion. It's one that triggers a profound feeling of closeness between my son and I. It's called Walking Out Of Stride. He was just a little boy of six years old when the song came out. Like now, I would talk to him about meaningful things. I recall talking to him saying, "This is our song son." And yes at six years old he held the conversation. I remember him interacting on it from both a musical appreciation and human curiosity of the words. I remember the exact words he first said to me, "What do you mean Dad?" I can't remember my exact words but I remember the point I made. It was about us going through so much together and that he was a part of me like I was a part of him. "I'm your dad. We share the same blood." We've had that conversation more than once and not just because of this song. Yet I know this song was absolutely one of those things that made me talk to my son about how close we were. The words to Walking Out of Stride are pure and short:
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