Father's Day

You know you're not single anymore...when you realize that this Father's Day will be your first Father's Day as a father...You honestly have not even thought about Father's Day since you quit celebrating Father's Day several years ago after the deaths of your Dad and Grandfather and it's only been a day of honoring memories of them...But now that you're someone else's "Padre'", this day has a whole new meaning...You are humbled because you recognize you've had to go through fast track training to become a father of teenagers overnight...although you don't mind you skipped over the "changing diaper, crying all night, no sleep for you" stages of your children's development!... You know you've had successes and some bumps in the road in this brief transition and you are grateful for the grace and patience your wife and kids have shown you...But ultimately your realize that fatherhood is a gift and you know how blessed you are to not only have the gifts of two of the smartest, most caring, funny, hard-working, loving kids but that you have a chance to influence your kids' understanding of what "father" really means to them...You pray each day that you will become a better dad to your kids than you were the day before and that your kids will always know that they are safe, protected, cared for, and deeply loved by you.