we worked very hard to have joseph, our number two child. it was a tough stretch and one we will be glad not to live through again. he’s eleven now, caught between the innocent enthusiasm of boyhood and the guardedness of adolescence. last night he got sucked in by the internet for an evening and, boy-like, forgot to get around to his homework project. then, adolescent-like, he told a lie about it. the latter is as close to a cardinal sin as we have in our family, and i tried really hard to be mad at him. but part of me will always live in that time before him, when we were three–mary jo, steve and eva. a time when joseph was a hazy shape in the background of our lives that we couldn’t seem to bring into focus. a time when we got very close to giving up hope. all i could think last night, as i halfheartedly scolded him for his behavior, was how happy i was to have him around to tell boyish fibs.

hackberry branches in winter

lake phalen, saint paul, minnesota