The best ten minutes of my day can also be the easiest to miss. I was clearly reminded of that this morning.

To begin, here’s a bit of backstory…

We’ve had a lot going on lately, which is largely why you haven’t heard from me since January. I know how cliché it is to bemoan the busyness of modern life, so I’ll spare you the minutiae and leave you with a bulleted list:

• We have a new baby boy on the way, due to arrive in December.
• We were looking for a new house and just recently moved (whilst very pregnant).
• At the end of last year I was chosen along with seven other doctors to embark on a very ambitious national project (you can see more about it here) designed to double our impact in each of our communities and capture a documentary about the changes.  That project just finished in August.

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Sometimes I forget to take a breath.

Moving from project to project, post to post, day to day, and diaper to diaper…

Visions, goals and dreams leading the charge, yet stealing the day.

Not today.  Today I drew breath and soaked in the moment.  Consequently I laughed, I played, I loved.  All it took was a willingness to be still and enjoy my family.  Because I was laughing, playing and loving, so was my son.

His laughter seems like magic.

You would think this was the first time I’ve had this epiphany.  It’s not.

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Growing with my Son

A child changes a man.

Making him older and younger all at once.

It reminds him of his heritage and legacy

while rediscovering play and his inner child.

It’a a unique time, to grow in both directions.

A time to be savored, cherished, loved.

Embraced.

A child shifts a man’s perspective

From changing the world to raising a family.

It puts what is truly important into focus

Maybe for the first time…

And every time you see a smile, a look of wonder.

It’s wonderful.

A child completes a man

It makes him whole by

Uniting his life across time.

The boy with the man,

The adventurer with the provider,

The magical with reason.

A child makes him a Dad.

I can see you changing, little man.
Each day you are full of new wonders and discoveries.
A smile,
A laugh,
A look of recognition.
These milestones both break and warm my heart
As I realize there are so many moments now past.
They are recorded in a baby blue book full of your pictures
In an attempt to preserve their freshness.

I have to remember to keep looking forward.
There’s so much to see, so much to miss if
I’m not here, fully, with you in the present.

You enchant me, little man.
Staring into your bright blue eyes
Calms my impatient soul.
Hours pass in mere minutes.
You’ve taught me to be still, and to revel in it.
For time is much more fleeting than I ever knew,
Now documented in inches and pounds.
They seem to pass faster than days.

In this stillness, I try to will time to stop
So we can stay together.
I know it is futile; I’m simply not ready to let go.

An undiscovered world

awaits your big blue eyes.

I wrote this while laying in bed sometime around 3:00am staring at my 3 day old boy.  He amazes me, and is giving me a better understanding of God’s love for us.

It’s overwhelming.

After the poem are pictures and the story.

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 Be sure to change the settings to watch in HD.

This is what has been keeping me busy for the past 3 months.  As soon as I found out we were having a child, I knew I wanted their room to inspire adventure, creativity, and exploration.  Having a place to like that to grow up in would be amazing!

When I was a boy, the Legend of Zelda series embodied those values for me, and the beautiful cel-shaded art style from Wind Waker/Spirit Tracks seemed to be the perfect fit for a young hero’s room.

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This is a guest post from my wife Casey, whose sweet side is rarely made public.  As a tribute to father’s day, she asked me to publish this letter she wrote for our soon-to-arrive son.  It’s pretty awesome.  Here goes.

Son-

I wanted to let you know some reasons why Christopher Cole Bradburn is going to be the best father ever. And he’s going to be yours, you lucky little guy.

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I had an eventful weekend.

One that reminded me how little control I actually have (I don’t know about you, but I need these reminders from time to time).

It also reminded me of what is it like to fully rely on God.

To place everything in His hands and be at peace.

It’s a hard thing for me to do.

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I feel the rhythmic beat of my heart
counting the seconds until your arrival.

I can see you in there,
kicking, stretching, pushing against
the boundaries of your world…

Soon, little man, there will be a
great big world for you to discover.
It needs you to push against your boundaries too.

It’s beautiful, scary, and amazing
all at once, but don’t worry
I’ll be your guide.
We will explore it together.

You’ll learn to create, to share, to give.

To Love.

I Love You.

And until we meet face to face
I’ll keep counting heartbeats
and dreaming of you.