Classic

Father’s Day,                                                   (June 16^th, 2013)

Oscar, Vivian, Abram, and our soon to be born daughter. 

The days that each of you were born are forever etched in my memory as the greatest days of my life.  The greatest moments, defining moments of what my life means.  I know that my love as a father is far from perfect.  But I want you each to know that above all, above all, all that matters to me is being a great dad, and a great husband.

It is my honor to be your father, I could have never asked for more. 

Of course none of this would be possible without your beautiful mother.  Nobody has sacrificed more and given more to all of us than her.  Celebrating Father’s Day also means celebrating your mother.  Dallas I want to thank you for making miracles possible, for filling my heart, and for helping know the most beautiful of joys.

Oscar – you are beautifully brilliant, both courageous and cautious.  All boy, and at times our little boy, you are transforming before our very eyes.  You amaze me in your hunger to know, see, do, and of course to have.  I love you.

Vivian – you are grace and beauty defined, a true lover, the kind of which that can’t help but make everything better.  You are as easy going as you are complex, emotionally charged, I am humbled by you.  I love you.  You will never know how much your window goodbyes mean. 

Abram – you are the go getter, nothing sets you back.  I hope to do nothing to take that from you.  You charge at and squeeze life with both hands, except of course when those two hands are squeezing mom.  You remind me that the more we let go, the more we are able to experience the real beauty of life.  I love you.

Our daughter yet to be born – Our next miracle awaits, the end of September will be here before we know it.  I could never ransom the words to describe how I cannot wait to hold you, to love you, and to show you that anything you dream of is possible.

Thank you for the honor of being your father, on Father’s Day and every day, it is the only gift I could ever want.

All of my love,

Dad

You Laugh When I Say It Couldn't Get Any Better Than This

Recovering

Friday was a big day in our family.

We celebrated my vasectomy.

Saturday our oldest son was puking all day.

If you want to know how to recover quickly from a vasectomy, it is tending to a sick child.  Actually I was trying to help my wife (who I would remind everyone is five months pregnant).  I wasn't doing much, but all of my empathy was with them.

Saturday night, whatever he had hit me.

If you want to know how to make recovery from a vasectomy worse, add a nasty stomach.

Sunday wasn't much better.

What a great weekend!

Vas deferens

Vas deferens - a simple word of thanks to both of you. 

Miraculously you've created meaning in my life, in a way words cannot describe.

Vas deferens, you've been great to us.
Now it's time to say goodbye.

While your ends have been severed, consider it retirement.
If I could I would give you a medal of honor.
Four of them really.

Instead it's time for you to rest,
thank you for giving us your very best.

What We Leave....

I wrote this as last Friday was our oldest son's last day at his school.  He is off to new chapters, but I couldn't help but reflect on what his building meant to us.

I thought about this in great detail when the tornado hit Moore, Oklahoma.  I remember hearing that schools had been in the storms path.  My heart stopped, I clutched to the thought that there could be parents out there like my wife and I.  People who had all of their children in one building, a building that they themselves weren't in.  My heart goes out to all families who five days a week leave their hearts, to pursue that which needs pursuing.

Here it is:

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What we leave

For some this place is just like any other place,

a building, in a city, it could be anywhere.

But for us, for us this place, this place is something sacred.

Every time we come here, our lives are full-

Our car, our hearts, our entire life, full.

Everything that sustains us is here with us.

Until we make the long walk that is goodbye.

Goodbye for the moments from when we leave,

until we return.

In those moments the miracle of meaning is transcended.

We come with full hearts, and when we leave,

we drop off our children, we drop off our hearts.

Our car is empty, so too is our chest.

What once was a heart is now an endless knot of worry.

Are our children ok, are they safe, are they happy?

Could they be hurt, who will tend their wounds?

Are they hungry, thirsty, bored, it goes on, and it never ends.

When we come, we come with full hearts, we come with everything that means anything.

When we leave, we leave our children, we leave our hearts.

We surrender all control.

For me this place, is anything but just any other place.

This place marks the place we leave our hearts each morning,

only to pick them up later in the day.

Hoping and worrying that everything is ok,

while we are away.