Remembering hunting with Clayton

 I just can't help but reminisce about my awesome, good-looking son of ours. God blessed us with Clayton for nearly 15 years. He will always be a big  part of us. Tomorrow now it will be 6 months that he has left our home and went to be with the Lord.
  This time last year I was taking him ( Clayton ) out hunting  about every other morning, and then again in the evenings, as well some days. He loved deer hunting and last fall of 2016 he manged to get us 3 deer. He was pretty pleased with him self! 
  He would get up early and do some school work,. Then we'd eat breakfast, and hurry out when it was just coming light and go to his favorite spot and look for deer. We made different of those trips with no luck, but he was determined just the same and on other other occasions we did better!

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  We would drive in at our spot bumping along over the field ruts on our way. Him scanning the tree line and ridges in the field on the out-look for deer, and me holding my big growing stomach with one hand and steering with the other. I did not exactly enjoy it, being a good 6 months pregnant with our newest baby. But some how I was o.k with it, and it was a nice time  just the same all in all. 
  A new day would come and he would be all smiles and like, "Ready to go hunting mom?" I would reluctantly say, "I guess so." And off we would go again. I did not enjoy it as much as he did. But am I ever glad and thankful for those memories now. I guess God knew what it would mean to mean later.
  He would see a deer, and if we were driving, I would quickly stop,  h'ed jump up standing on the seat and out of the window, hold his gun out across the truck roof take aim, and shoot! What a kid!! What a hunter! Other times we would just sit in the truck together talking while we waited for a deer to come in to view.
  Then when we were done, depending where we were in the field if he felt that I was not as good at navigating out way out again he would offer to drive us. And so we would change places and off we would go, with me holding my stomach even more so! :) I was trying hard to be a lot more careful. But all so good of memories now!

   This hunting season is hard not to remember all those little things, things I will never get to experience again with that son. It is hard for me. I miss seeing our son, Clayton, all geared up to go hunting. The excitement of seeing a deer, taking aim, getting it and loading it with my help, and then proudly skinning it out later in the shop.
 He was so in to hunting that this spring he  was already bugging me about taking him hunting come this hunting season. I think partly why he was bugging me about hunting was because he knew I was not quite as eager about it as he was. With a big grin on his face he would be like, "Ready to go hunting mom?" And I would be, " No I'm not." He would ask me that question in the mornings about the time we would usually go. he seemed to enjoy bugging me. And that is some of the last fond memories of him that I have now. Just the morning before his accident and I believe even the morning of the accident he came up to me, "Ready to go hunting mom"? Precious. And God knew I  needed that. For later. For moments like right now. Great memories, and even a greater God. I am extremely blessed!
  Yep, love and miss this awesome son of mine!
    Come on praise the Lord with me who gave him to us for 14 plus years!
~ In Him, Mae