The "48" Years of Life

It is just past midnight on June 14th which can only mean one thing. . . . . It's my birthday (June 15th). And for those of you how have seen how gray my hair is, I am proud to say that I am still in my 40's . . . Barely!!!!
49 is a good year for a few reasons, for instance it is the last year before fifty. Or, it still is a ways off for social security checks. Ok, I reaching, but 48 has been a hard year. A lot of learning and a lot of stretching and growing and not all of it easy. Here are some of the highlights.....
-Zachary went to and graduated from a fire academy
-Alyssa moved back from Colorado and got a job at Kaiser
-Shelby moved into junior high
-Jenna got her drivers license

Things I learned....
-What honesty and openness "really" look like
-What heartache and struggle feels like
-How Grace and Mercy really work
-Parenting is a continual struggle with both joys and pain

Things I have appreciated.....
-A God who still loves me in spite of all my faults (and I have a lot)
-A true friend who came from left field and showed kindness at dark time
for me, with no questions or judgement, simply cared!!!
-A family who continues to stretch my boundaries of parenthood
-A wife who has endured 20 years and hopefully will for 20 more
-A job that has shown me things I don't ever want to see again but has
also opened my eyes to the reality of the real world we live in
-The brotherhood of firefighters I have the privilege to work with

These are some of the things, some of the many things that are on my mind as I turn another year older. I would like to think I am just a little bit wiser, maybe a little more discerning but those things can only be verified by the people who love me, live with me and interact with me.

Thank you "48"




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad