I became a father 29 years ago today. There are times when it seems like it was just yesterday. Today is one of those days. I was a month shy of turning 26 when Geo was born. To think that he is older now than I was then is sobering. It’s one more reminder than life is so much shorter than we sometimes think it is. I have been a father for over half of my life. That doesn’t seem possible. Come August I will have been a grandfather for ten years. I know that’s the reality and my body constantly reminds me that I am no longer a young man. However, my brain doesn’t always feel the same way. There are days when I feel like a kid again. Then I get out of bed and my knees assure me that I am not.
Anniversaries and birthdays usually cause me to pause and look back at how much things have changed. Below is a brief (and incomplete) list of some things that have taken place over these last 29 years.
- Changed jobs numerous times
- Had another son: Chris (He’ll be 25 this year)
- Had a daughter: Jamie (She’ll be 20 this year)
- Gone back to college (2005)
- Graduated from college (2008)
- Was ordained (2008)
- Moved to the Gulf Coast and back (2008-2009)
- Moved to Pennsylvania and back (2013-2020)
- Became a grandfather: Marcus (2015)
- Became a volunteer firefighter (2020)
I guess I could sit here and list every job I’ve had during that time but in the grand scheme of things, it really isn’t that important. I may do a post (perhaps on a Flashback Friday) where I’ll go through all the jobs I’ve had in my life. Most of them were good experiences but there are a few that would make for some interesting conversation. I’ll put that on my list of things to do.
I think that will do it for now. My main purpose for this post was to wish my son a happy birthday. Tomorrow is his 10th wedding anniversary and we all will be gathering in Mansfield, Pennsylvania for a three day family throw down. Geo, Becca (his wife), and Chris are heading a music festival in Ohio on Wednesday so we decided to gather the tribe before they go. It will be awesome to have all of our children and some of our “adopted” children together in one place. I’m really looking forward to it. For now, let me get back to the intended purpose of this post.
Happy birthday Geo. I love you and I’m proud of you.
Grace and peace.
That 80s Pastor Dude 