Waking Up A Father

Rarely a day goes by that I don't consider how fortunate I am to be the father of four great children, and now a son-in-law.  Each February 15 I'm anxious to smile at the now twenty-six year-old memory of my daughter's birth.  My wife and I were confident (yet young), yet it was with our daughter that we began our role as parents.

I remember things:  giving her her first bath, bringing her into my wife at 2 a.m. for feeding, chicken pox, talent shows at elementary school...first dates...and much more.  Yet what most amazes me as a father is how, when I often feel I rarely did enough or think of things I know I should have done, children continue to thrive.  They become individuals, capable, and though I see in them the struggles that both my wife and I felt dealt with, they work through it all.  This daughter worked her way through college, successfully managed a business, found herself in a great relationship with someone who truly loves her, and still loves how goofy her father often will be

Today, though further away in distance than any other February 15, I see her always smiling and I am content.  Happy Birthday, A!