This is… if God will allow… the first of a good 45-50 years of telling you a very long drawn-out life lesson. It is being done, not out of morbid interest, but in the hope that, should anything happen to me – and it turns out I don’t have the joy of watching you grow – I can still leave you with some stories, and maybe… just maybe, some wisdom. So, although I’d prefer to grow so old my Alzheimer’s kicks in and I forget having ever blogged in the first place, I just want to make sure – if I do leave you too early I can at least have a chance to say goodbye.

More than anything else, I want this to stand as a testament to my love for the two of you. Since you were enrolled in pre-school, your mom and I have lost a number of very dear friends – the same age as we, with sons and daughters the same age as you. After my accident almost 2 years ago, I first came to face THE unavoidable truth – and the realization that one should never take a single day for granted.

I hope, if nothing else, that if the day comes where you find yourself reading through these words, you will at the very least, come to understand my deep an never-ending love for you. You two are my entire world. You have given your mother and I joy beyond words – and have given our lives meaning beyond any earthly measure.

Of course… you’re not teenagers yet. Perhaps I should wait to see how bad your teen years get before doling out that kind of praise.

p.s. Thing about Dad #1: Never let it be said I didn’t have a terrific sense of humor!