Five things about my son as he turns 12...

Today is my son's 12th birthday - here are five things I want to share about him.

1)  I love to listen to Cameron pray.  At 12 his faith is greater than mine was at 21.  Cameron will grow up continuing to be an example to those around him of what faith is and even more, others will learn from him about how to pray.  At Thanksgiving there is a tradition of writing what you are thankful for on a slip of paper and then we take turns reading them as we go around the table of 20 or so people.  One was pulled and this is what it looked like.... it was Cameron's.

2)  Cameron notices the details.  He picks up on the littlest things that everyone else misses.  One year we were visiting at Ashton's mom's house and all of the kids were entranced by a game on the computer - they did not see or hear me approach from behind them and soon Cameron said very casually, "I smell my mom."  (You know like my perfume, not like because I smell, LOL).  Cameron played with Match Box cars for years and as a toddler he would line them up on a table, drive them around and then reverse them back the other way.  He would do that for hours - and he knew which cars had the same spoilers and the same rims and were the same make - it was all in the details for Cameron.

3) Cameron is strong.  He is strong mentally, physically and emotionally.  His strength comes from within and it is a quiet strength, not one that is loud and obvious but a strong undertone that you recognize is there just by being near him.

4) Cameron loves small children.  He truly has more patience than I can believe.  When a very young child is seeking Cameron's attention, he does not turn away to be with his own friends.  He gives the child attention and smiles and gets down on their level.  In a public place Cameron will notice a cute child and comment on them.  He notices and recognizes those younger than him, an unusual attribute at his age.

5)  Cameron is an all around athlete.  If it is a sport, he can play it.  Cameron does not suffer defeat well.  Cameron wants to be good at everything he does.  He is also a sports fanatic.  He knows teams and their stats and their records and who they play next.  He has the mind of a steel trap and a memory to go with it.

I love this child that God has entrusted me with for the past 12 years.  Cameron Thomas (Thomas, after his grandfather and great-grandfather, the latter of which passed away on December 14 seven years before Cameron was born on December 14).  Happy birthday to this boy who teaches me patience, forgiveness and strength everyday.