My firstborn son, Jack, married his high school sweetheart almost five years ago, the summer after the two of them graduated from college. In the months before the wedding, my son told me he’d enrolled the two of us in dance lessons at Arthur Murray Dance Studio. He wanted us to perform a choreographed mother/son dance routine at the reception. I’m not a dancer; but I am his mom, and when he told me he chose the song “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” from Toy Story for our dance, how could I say no? Rosie, our dance instructor, high heels clicking, wrap-around skirts flowing, taught us how to two-step and sway. Whenever I faltered, she said confidently, “You’ve got this. I believe in you.” Then she incorporated a box step and an underarm turn or two. Finally, she added the separation, where we’d drop two hands and step out with opposite feet and then come together again. Throughout our lessons, and during the dance itself, a reel of memories made it difficult to concentrate on the steps: Jack at two, holding his arms up, “Hold you, Mommy!”; hours playing action figures, his insistence on wearing a superhero cape to the mall or grocery store. Then, at age 4, his freckled face shining, he told me he thought he might be the real Santa Claus. “I love Kwissmas,” he explained, “and I love giving gifts!” Years of Christmas shopping, decorating, and gift-wrapping…my son the best at picking out the perfect presents. Long early walks around our neighborhood (we called it a 10-mile) and also while vacationing at the beach. We were the only two morning people in the family. My brief foray into running when Jack patiently coached me for a 5K. Our Mom and Son Mulch Company, during Covid, when Jack purchased a pull-behind trailer; and the two of us picked up scoops of mulch from a landscaping wholesale company, hiring ourselves out to anyone needing a flowerbed refresh. Science fair projects, birdwatching festivals, weekend soccer tournaments, our annual trip to the World’s Longest Yard Sale…he will always have a friend in me.

laughter, long walks, talks

mother/son dancing before

we took dance lessons