Sunday morning at around 3:46, I got a text message from my 12 year old son who was  at his mother's house. He couldn't sleep because he had an earache. Now, this kid doesn't just get your ordinary, everyday textbook earache.

When he was 6, he  had two major surgeries to remove what is known as a cholesteatoma,  a non-cancerous tumor in the eardrum.  So when  any ear problems arise, we head into Children's Hospital. Dr. Trevor McGill removed the tumor and rebuilt the eardrum. He and his staff have become our friends and angels.

At around 4: 10, Sunday morning, as we were heading into Boston, I noticed how empty the streets were and how close Boston was. I said to   my son, "we are so lucky to be this close to Boston."

As soon as we made that little turn onto McGrath Highway, there it was, the Boston skyline. It took us about 12 minutes to make it from there to the  emergency room of Children's hospital.

We drove past  the Museum of Science, the Garden, my old Emerson College campus, the scenic esplanade,  and  good old Fenway Park. It's great being close to all these remarkable places.

I mentioned that someday I would actually like to get on  one of those Duck boats and take the tour. What could it cost, $10, $15?  Try $37!

Okay…I will never  take a Duck Boat  Tour, but maybe I will walk the Freedom Trail again someday. We did it when I was a Cub Scout.

Come to think of it, I doubt  if I will do it again. There are a couple of feasts coming up in the North End that I may hit. It is usually 90 degrees and humid for those things. I wish they had the feast of St. Bernard, because I would take my dog.

We get to  Children's Hospital around  4:23, and we are checked in, seen by a nurse ,a doctor, and sent on our way by 6:30 . All this was done with the utmost professionalism. Everyone we ran into had a

pleasant disposition. It was like a pediatric assembly line. We moved from the parking garage, to registration, and  ended by walking out the door with a prescription for ear drops in hand.

While we were in that little examination room waiting for the Doctor to come back, my son put his arm around me and hugged me. I love being a dad and taking charge, the same way my dad did. I told my son that as long as I was  still breathing, I would be here to help him with any situation that may arise, no matter how old he is. He is still my baby boy, even though he is  built like a tree trunk.

As we were driving  home down Highland Ave, we  passed Somerville High School. I mentioned to my son that 39 years ago,  around this time of year, I was getting ready to graduate. Yikes…39 years !

office of mayor Joe Curtatone, the Communications Department, and the Somerville High School music department.

Then on Sunday June 13th, join us at Amelia's Kitchen ,1137 Broadway , in Teele Square from 10 am to noon, for the All America City delegation reunion. It was one year ago this month that Mayor Joe Curtatone led a group of Somerville citizens and elected officials to Tampa Florida where they captured the prestigious award .