Remember the old Western “Shane”? At the end of the movie, Shane rides off into the sunset,

like all good cowboys do, and the little boy who has become his friend calls after him to come back…

While going through my old files, weeding out and backing up, I came across the set of cowboy pictures I did of M last spring, just over a year ago. He was so into cowboys then – the only way I could convince him to cooperate for pictures was to let him dress up in all his cowboy gear…

Now he has moved on from cowboys, just as he once moved on from Bob the Builder and John Deere Tractors. Today it is Star Wars and Legos, tomorrow, who knows?

A year ago, I thought I would scream if I had to listen to the Lone Ranger and Tonto one more time in the car on the way to Nana and Grandpa’s, if he ran through the living room again firing his toy gun and rolling across the arm of the couch, if I had to have one more battle about why he couldn’t wear Wranglers and cowboy boots to church.

Today, I wonder how it is all going by so quickly. I would gladly welcome the little cowboy and all that went along with him back with open arms.

Come back, Shane…