Life can't get much better...

   How many people can say that and actually mean it? So many people spend so much time and effort just trying to get ahead that they miss so much of life as it passes right by them. So many people are just alive, not truly living.
   This is one reason that I am so blessed to have experienced what I have. I was one of those people who was living day by day and had my focus in all the wrong areas.
    It is awful that it took such a tragedy to create such a beautiful situation. I love my life. I came close to never experiencing what it was like to be a father and now that I have a little taste I feel sympathy for all those who choose never to, or just couldn't have children.

    They are stressful, messy, stinky, and usually disrespectful but absolutely amazing at the same time. It is truly wonderful.
   Not only am I so blessed to be a father but also blessed to have an amazing father myself.
   I took him for granted growing up. I realize that and I know he will love to see that it is written here. I spent all my time out with friends or chasing girls and missed a lot of opportunities to have a lot of great experiences with him.
    We did have our fair share of great times though. Strangely, some of my favorites are when we were playing paintball, just working around the yard together or going to collect rocks…Yes folks. My dad would and still does drive his truck way out of town toward the mountains and pile the biggest rocks he could lift into the back of his truck….but I digress.
   These are great memories that I have and I want to take a minute to thank my dad for spending so much of his free time with me,  and being an amazing father.
    If you have been reading since the beginning of this blog you know how my dad supported me and stuck by my side during my recovery. I know a handful of other wounded guys who just wanted their parents to leave and let them be, but I wasn't  one of them. I was extremely grateful for them to be there for so long. They put their lives on hold for me and I really do appreciate it.
   I know my dad would just say that it is just part of being a dad but there are a lot of men out there who have kids that don't get it. They enjoy the act of making a child but turn and run when push comes to shove and they are faced with the reality they created for themselves.
    I love my dad very much. I look up to him. I would not be who I am today without him. I am grateful for all the lessons and even the lectures I received while growing up. These are things I will never forget.

I love you dad. Thank you for being you.