Standing Tall -- jcarolek

My son was always small. He was the shortest in his class in grade school, the shortest in the school in middle school, and high school, until his junior year. He was never picked on for his size, rather, he was treated as somewhat of a “mascot.”

To say he was happy with his stature would be to lie. He wanted to be tall, like the other kids. Heck, he wanted to be able to stand taller than his sister, two years younger, who had passed him in height at age 3. His big wish, when in middle school, was to be able to get sneakers that didn’t have super-heros on them!

Still, he didn’t let his size get him down. He played flag football with the Parks and Recs in Tallahassee, FL at age 7. He used his size to zip past they others…they never saw him coming! But, football was really never his love…(he’d just as soon stop on the field to pick a buttercup.)

He was always an avid reader and a smart kid. He excelled academically. He actively participated in Boy Scouts, community theatre, marching band, and tennis, and a zillion technology clubs. When he was in seventh grade he was inducted into the National Junior Honor Society. He stood solemnly with his peers and accepted the recognition of his achievements to-date and affirmed his dedication to excellence in the future.

As I looked at the young men and ladies, their backs to the audience of proud mothers, fathers and teachers, I saw my son, standing tall with assurance beyond his tiny height.