34

Tomorrow I turn 34.  As I look back on this past year it has been an amazing journey for me.  The path continues to lead to more amazing experiences than I could have ever anticipated.  We welcomed into our lives our 3^rd child; who like his brother and sister is a miraculous blessing.  All three of them are a constant source of brilliance, reflecting the beauty of life in all that it holds, and all that is possible.  We are truly blessed beyond the limits of description through words.

My wife continues to amaze me in her beauty and wisdom.  I am humbled that each day I walk the path of life with my best friend and life’s partner.  When I count the many things that I am grateful for in my life, they all radiate from her.  This is not lost on me.

I was finally able to achieve a lifelong goal of mine in completing my bachelor’s degree.  This was something that I was never sure I would actually finish, to have done so is a great achievement for me personally and one that I am very proud of.

All those wonderful and amazing things have filled the past year of my life with an abundance of love and joy. 

At the same time I recognize that the past year also held several moments which remind me that I still have a tremendous amount of work to do to become the man that I know I am capable of being, with that in mind growth is a personal focus for me in the next year.  I still have a long ways to go; I will put in the work, I will give the effort required to overcome these challenges.

This past year also held a very unique personal experience for me.  After 33 years of running from the fact that I did not have a relationship with my biological father; I said goodbye to him in my own way.  His passing marked the end of the chapter in terms of ever hoping to connect with him, to understand and know him, to understand why he never wanted to be in my life…..  It also gave me my first footing on knowing anything about him with certainty; I certainly know that he is gone.  He was 66 years old; I have a good idea of how he spent those 66 years.  He marked a blueprint for me how life should not be lived, what not to do.  I will use that as a source for what I need to do for all the days of my life.  I will honor his legacy by not spending one breath living the way he did.

As 34 approaches, my sights are set, my goals in focus, equipped with these tools: honesty, tenacity, resolve, discipline--these are the things I will be using.