James at 15

Who is that boy with the silly smile at the railroad park? That is my son James.

Fifteen years ago I was third hornist in the Nashville Symphony. We had finished our run of rehearsals for the Holiday Pops concert and it was looking to be a busy holiday season. And we had a baby on the way, our first! He was not due for a month or so but on a routine visit our doctor put my wife in a wheelchair and ran her over to the adjacent hospital. A few hours and an emergency C-section later we were the parents of a healthy baby boy! But a baby boy with a surprise for us, he had Down Syndrome, a genetic disorder.

I was very interested to see James when he came out, as any dad would be, what would he look like? He was a pretty calm baby and my first impression was that he looked rather Chinese (my wife is Asian)–he reminded me in particular of one of the older members of our church, Mr. Bai. His condition was a surprise for sure but it did not change the fact that he was our son and was loved.

I called the Personnel Manager and Principal Horn that night so they would know what was up for me and that I would not be back for a while. One great thing about playing in Nashville was paternity leave. I was able between weeks off, sick leave, and paternity leave to take off nearly three months. We did need that extra time, as anyone who has had children can tell you!

Someday I would love to get him back to Nashville to see our old friends again, James has grown so much. Being a parent has for sure improved my teaching and especially so being the parent of a special needs child. I believe that I am much more clued into how people learn. And James enjoys concerts and trains among other things, so we do have fun together. While he refuses to blow on a horn he certainly enjoys blowing out the candles on his cake! Happy Birthday.