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Evan wished to take his friends to Newport Aquarium for his birthday.
This morning as I watched Evan sleeping, I thought of the moment, eight years ago, when I saw him for the first time. He was a smaller baby than Dante had been and had a little bunch of dark hair on top of his perfectly shaped head. The first thing I said to him was “patkica moja mala” (which translates “my little 
duckling” but it really means “my little pumpkin” or “my sweetie pie”.)
The next day, as I admired my newborn baby, I noticed just how strong his back and broad his shoulders were (and I thanked God he was a C-sec).
When Evan was two years old, we visited Seaworld. He loved the dophins and the killer whales so much that he wished to be a “Shamu” trainer when he grew up (His favorite snuggly toy is still a huge stuffed Shamu – many nights Shamu takes place of Evan’s pillow.)
This summer I watched my “patkica” win swim races leaving the rest of the swimmers behind. I’d say to strangers: “This is my kid” feeling so proud I could cry. His back is strong and his upper arms built with muscles. His form is beautiful when he swims, and he enjoys it, although I see him talking to other kids and trying to help them to feel better when they don’t win.
I can imagine Evan some days swimming with dolphins (killer whales… well, I’m not so excited about). I can envision his gentle and compassionate spirit finding a way to communicate with animals, treat them with respect an awe, and in the process help others to understand the beauty of all God’s creatures.
Read about Evan Making a Wish blog post from March 8, 2008