Walks With Dad (The Circle Makes A Round)

Every Saturday my boy grabbed my hand and said,

“Let’s go out for a walk dad.

It’s our time together, just you and me.”

You loved walking with your dad

I loved walking with my son

For years our Saturday mornings went that way

Just dad and his boy walking together

Hand in hand, side by side

One Saturday you took my hand and said

“Come dad and take a look at my baseball jersey

The games start next Saturday, please come and

Watch me play dad… I know you will”

You were happy- I was happy… and sad

Happy because you were happy

Sad because I knew from now on

Things would never be the same

When the baseball season was over

You wanted a cocker spaniel

I took you out to buy a small cocker pup

Along with a new collar and leash

Now your hand held the leash

As you took Rusty for a walk Saturday mornings

A boy needs a friend, a dog needs a friend

But dad needed a friend also 

No more Saturday walks for the two of us

You walked Saturday mornings with Rusty’s leash in your hand now

Time passed, the days went fast, you grew and grew

It got to where I could no longer call you ‘boy’

My ‘no longer boy’ loved Rusty

But he had to put the leash away

And stick Rusty in the back yard

Your hand was holding something softer now

Kirsty was her name… not a dog

But a female, a friend, a close friend

I was still there alone in the house

Buddy was alone in the backyard

The two ‘loners’ persuaded by me and the leash

Began to go out together on Saturday mornings.

When I went out with Rusty I was walking with a friend

But he didn’t quite take the place of my son

Some years later I opened up the window blinds

Looked out and saw my son walking up to my door

With a little boy holding onto his hand

He knocked on the door, I opened it up

My boy saw my surprised face and said

"Dad, will you take this little boy for a walk

Like we always did? I have to take his mother

To the hospital… another boy is coming" 

"He wanted to take a walk today

And wanted to meet his grandpa"

So as I (dad) took him by the hand my son said to his boy...

"Son we’ll do both… here dad, please take him for a walk"

As I grabbed Justin’s hand my mind went back

To when me my boy and I took our first walks

Together; and now me and my boy’s boy

Walked together, hand in hand, side by side

No, it wasn’t my boys’ hand, it wasn’t the dogs’ leash

It was the hand of the son of my boy

My boy passed his son’s hand on to me

He placed his total trust and his utmost love

In the hands of his dad… the friend that dad needed

Was now his ‘grand friend’, no it wasn’t his son

But perhaps a treasure even better than his son

My son put his full faith and trust in the hands

Of his dad… yes, his dad had a grand friend now

By his side. But this ‘grand friend’ was more

Special than any other friend he had had

Because he was holding onto the hand of

His very first ‘grand-son’

Yes, life’s cycle goes on

When the cycle is complete then

The Circle Makes a Round

--c aaron