“I would trade places with you”

“I would trade places with you…” is a phrase my dad would use when I got sick as a kid.  Through strep throat, colds, the flu, growing pains, and even surgeries I can’t remember a time when my dad didn’t vocalize the fact that he wished he could swap places with me.  Before this weekend I always thought it was just a nice thing he said, but now I know it is something much more.

Near the beginning of this week I got the flu and not just the 24 hour bug, but one of the worst ones I have had in years.  Paige and I did everything possible to keep Zander away from me, but somehow he still ended up with it.  Today it hit Zander like a ton of bricks and he spent almost the entire day in my arms.  It was at this moment that I looked down at my 20 lbs. son with tears in his eyes and thought the same thing my dad had always told me, “I would trade places with you”.  At this moment I realized that those words carried with them more than just a nice saying, but an amazing amount of love.  I can now say to my dad I understand exactly how you felt when you said those words.