It's friendship, friendship...

... just a perfect blendship
When other friendships are soon forgot
Ours will still be hot
Da da da da da da dig dig dig

Will has a new friend named Jake. Pretty cool, huh? Oh -- you have no idea.

Jake is the eldest son of my trainer/friend Stephanie. I'm hesitant to call her simply my trainer because we are becoming very good friends. She is amazing and I count her amongst my greatest blessings of this year.

Anyhoo -- we were chatting while pounding out some cardio about a week or so ago and I happened to mention that I was looking for a new babysitter, as my last regular one had the nerve to graduate from high school and go away to college. As fate and some divine intervention would have it, Steph mentioned that Jake had completed the Red Cross babysitting course and was interested in earning a little coin for the holidays.

Serendipity at its finest.

So, last Friday, Will and I went and hung out with our new pals -- he and Jake spent time together while I got in a conditioning workout, as my foot is still hurtin'. They playing the drums sang, tossed around a ball, goofed off on the piano, wrestled and rough-housed. Will had a wonderful time and hugs and kisses were dispensed all the way around when it was time to go.

Over the weekend, Will would talk about Jake -- just in passing here and there, but enough to let me know that their time together had made an impact.

Come to find out today that it just wasn't a one way thing. Steph told me that all weekend long, Jake talked about Will, telling his friends about this "cool little boy" that he was going to start watching and how much fun they had.

He never mentioned Will's disabilities. Nor his crazy health history. Nor his limitations.

Jake saw simply Will -- the REAL Will. A goofy, silly, happy, funny and yes, musical little boy.

He "got" him -- for who he is beneath all the labels. He's just a kid.

Beautiful. My heart is still full and singing about this. And yes, I'm crying (what -- have we just met? Please.) but they are tears of joy and of possibility.

Yep, Will has a new friend named Jake. We should all be so lucky to have our own Jakes in our lives -- those people who see beyond and around and through the road blocks and labels and smoke and mirror and see use for who we really and truly are. And like what they see.

Thanks, Jake.

... I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
~ Humphrey Bogart