Father's Day

As the father of three kids that I have raised I often look back asking myself if I've done well in raising them.  My father and I were not very close.  I thought of him as a weekend roof over my head more than anything else.  I had a lot of silent moments with him and was dragged to events I had no interest participating in or watching.  It wasn't always like that.  I have a few great memories with him.  One time he woke me up really early to fly out to Memphis, TN to tour Graceland.  I've never been a fan of Elvis, but this was so spontaneous it was actually fun.

Nethan is the oldest of the bunch and at the legal drinking age he strives to do the best he can on his own.  There is a bit of story behind Nate most people don't know about.  I met Nate around his fifth birthday and filled the role of father he never knew for himself.  I call him "son" and in return he refers to me proudly as "father".  There are many kids out there who don't know their biological father. . . but what it really boils down to, who is the person that is doing the hard work day in and day out?

Galen is my first born which drives me to worry a bit as a young driver of both four and two wheeled vehicles.  I have quite a bit of respect for the path he is going down, even though he is unsure of his direction in college.  I really can't argue too much as I was definitely the same growing up.

The youngest of the bunch is Zoe who has me wrapped around her little pinky.  She tends to be all over the place at times.  One moment she is all gung-ho over learning interior design, the next obssession might be musical instruments.  I remember when she out right refused to eat green beans but now willing to try new things.

I see myself in all of them, from my father to my kids.  I have learned a lot from each.  Hold on to those moments and cherish the times you have.  They may surprise you.