This photo was in an archived hard drive that I had meant to go through for a long time. Hundreds and hundreds of photos from a period in 2009 were locked safely away. I often use long weekends, as I did this past Independence Day weekend, to organize files and back things up. Sometimes what I find makes me pause. That is the case with this one. I clearly remember this day and other days like it. That is my son’s hand on the left. He would have been a week or so from his 10th birthday on this day. He is almost 18 now. He and his friend and brothers would roam the neighborhood hunting lizards for hours and hours.

I clearly remember this day and other days like it. That is my son’s hand on the left. He would have been a week or so from his 10th birthday on this day. He is almost 18 now. He and his friend and brothers would roam the neighborhood hunting lizards for hours and hours. Their curiosity was boundless.

He’ll be heading off to Boise State University in about a month to begin a new part of his life. I hope he packs up the childlike curiosity that fueled these lizard hunts and takes it with him. It will come in handy.

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