Dates

 No, not the fruit.

And not the social meeting with another person either.

Instead, as I tend to do around here, I'm going to go off on a calendar date of some significance.

Yesterday's date to be exact.

The Heir to the Throne turned 15 yesterday.  15.  Yeesh.  I feel old(er).

All bias aside (not really, but it's my blog and I don't really care if I'm biased or not) he's a pretty special kid.  He's smart and smart-alecky.  He's proven to be a pretty amazing older cousin and he dotes on the younger ones, just as they adore him.  He's learning very well what it takes to suck up to me, even though he doesn't need to.  As I said when I referenced the Reigning Princess, he had me right from the start.  

He's had to deal with more grief, at a very young age, than anyone should ever have to deal with; losing first an aunt, then a grandma, then an uncle, then a great-grandmother, all before he hit his teens.  He's gone through life with the Boy Child and me as the primary male role models.   

Talk about an uphill battle...

Here's an example of why I think this kid is so special *pulls grandfatherly bragging platform out*

This past summer a tornado hit the small town a couple miles to the west of where he and the Oldest One live.  As did many others out that way, they went over to help in the aftermath; cleanup, organizing supplies that came in for the stricken, etc.  A week or so after the tornado hit, I called him to see if he wanted to go to the batting cages with me.  It's something we've been doing for the last several years.  He loves baseball, he's a pretty good player, and I enjoy helping him with his swing.  He didn't jump at the offer like he usually does, but said, sure he'd go with me.  I talked to the Oldest One a little later and she told me why he was hesitant.  

He wanted to go back over to help with the recovery some more.  

Rather than go goof off with me, he felt like it was more important to help his friends, team mates and classmates that had lost so much.

Who am I to say no to that?

I called him up and told him how very proud I was of him and told him to go help wherever he could, that doing that was so much more important than what we would do.  And I told him how very proud I was of him for being so selfless.  

See what I mean?

I saw a picture that he posted yesterday, I've seen it before but not in a while and I wanted to share it here, along with some of my other favs from over the years. 

Here he is with the Blond Child.

And here, his Nana.

And, finally, one with Sophie.

Lastly, as I try to wrap this thing up, there's a reason I wanted to do this today.  Aside from writing about a great kid, that is.  He posted something on his page yesterday and reading it broke my heart.  A classmate of the Heir's took his own life three days ago.

He was 14.

And the victim of bullying.

This needs to stop.  How did we get to this point in our collective history, where a 14 year-old feels so hated, so unloved and feels like life has given him (or her) such a raw deal that they feel they have no choice but to take their own life?  Or take the lives of others for that matter?  

We all know (or should know) the statistics, we've lost more veterans to suicide than we lost in combat in Iraq/Afghanistan.  Now, in my profession, we're learning similar statistics.  

I don't pretend to have any answers, though I wish I did.  I wish it was as easy as; be nice, be respectful, be considerate.  

But it's not.  

Or maybe it is?  Maybe that small thing, something we're all capable of doing, can help to make a difference.  I don't know.  

Every human life has value.  

And every one of us has demons.

Please don't let them get the best of you.  Please remember you are loved.  And please, if you know someone going through a hard time, for whatever reason, reach out to them and reassure them as best you can.

Peace