Happy Birthday, Luke!

Luke is in many ways a quintessential middle child. He's flexible, sweet-natured, sensitive, and genuine. His was my most peaceful birth; still a cesarean, but the only one without any accompanying medical emergencies. He's by far the most musical of the boys, ever and always drumming rhythms, conducting unheard (to the rest of us) symphonies, unabashedly singing out loud and clear in church. My favorite Luke story occurred last year while we were skiing. I went ahead a bit and then stopped at a crest to wait for him. After a minute or two, I heard in the distance a lilting song: "Seventy-two, seventy three, seventy-four..." and he swept past me, grinning from ear to ear, "...seventy-five, seventy-six...". No particular reason he was singing numbers while skiing. Just being himself, enjoying life. Happy 7 years old, Lukie-Lou!