Last night Caleb had his end-of-the-year violin concert.

I picked him up from scouts and he changed into his concert clothes in the car. When we arrived at the school I looked in the rearview mirror and saw that he was dressed and ready and had tied his own tie. When did he learn to do that?

I told him I had gel for his hair, so we got out of the car and I gelled and combed his hair, much to his embarrassment and consternation. He kept jerking around nervously, not wanting to be seen by anyone he knew. When did he get too old for me to comb his hair? I didn't even lick my hand.

When we walk together now, he's always three steps ahead of me. To and from the concert I was chasing him. I had to keep saying "What?" because I can't hear from back there and then I would have to run a bit to catch up. When did he start go places on purpose?

At Suzuki concerts they play from the most difficult piece down to the easiest and you join in at your skill level. I was so glad to see his lessons paying off, as he played all but the first piece. I love the earnest way he plays the violin. Here's a bit of Perpetual Motion:

My dictionary says:

perpetual motion: the motion of a hypothetical device which, once set in motion, would operate indefinitely by creating its own energy in excess of that dissipated.

Oh, stab my mother-heart. This is the joy and pain of my mothering. My insides are nothing but hot and tender as I watch this child set in motion, with no way to undo his eventual going.