So much to catch up on and so little time. Work has become a stress in my life that I'd prefer wasn't there as it takes up much of my waking time. But it is not all work, all the time.

I did get to go with my sons to see Thomas the Tank Engine in person in Strasburg Pennsylvania last Wednesday. I didn't think I would be able to go but the guy I work for insisted. I'd been working weekends and nights for a while and he figured he'd throw me a bone. What a joy spending time with my boys, my wife, and the in-laws as we got to ride a train, see sights, and overall have a grand old time. I took some video footage of a pair of boys with looks of sheer delight on their faces. Zachary was so excited he looked in shock that he was ACTUALLY riding a train pulled by Thomas. It was a wonderful moment that I would have regretted missing for the rest of my life. I'm glad it worked out.

Of course, the next day we found out about the passing of Sue's grandfather. It was a shock to a certain extent but in many ways it was a blessing. Alzheimer's is such a painful way to go for the individual but even more so for the family. He was a good man obviously loved by many and through him many a life was improved. In his passing I will personally remember his love of puns as well as the gentle demeanor of a man who stood 6'3" tall but lifted you to his height with boyish grin. That is the memory I will carry as I look at Marcus, our youngest son, with whom he bears a striking resemblance. Rest in peace.

Other thinks have occurred as a normal part of life that I won't bore you with. Suffice it to say father's day through me for a loop this year as an encroaching dilemma was handled with the loving support of both local friends and my family in North Carolina. What would I do without the bulwark of family members willing to take personal risk to help keep my life and that of my family...less complicated. Thank you all. Truly.

And to my loving wife. You work so hard to teach the boys right from wrong and to temper their impulses through learning experiences. Please know that you have both my love and admiration for that which you do. When first we decided to have a family we decided that as long as financially possible we would raise our boys with motherly love. In this you have not failed them. Very soon Zachary will be off to preschool and the transition from your loving care into the arms of a greater societal evolution that, I admit, I am somewhat nervous about.

The questions that fathers beat themselves up worrying about late in the night when no one else is awake will soon start to be tested. Zachary will start to experience those unsheltered events that will further shape his personality and character and will do so without mommy and daddy ready to hand. Will he be a geek or a jock? A bully or a politician? How will he handle scorn and ridicule? How will he handle popularity? Will he be the butt of kid's jokes or with he be the one poking fun at others? It will soon be up to Zachary to make many of these choices himself. Hopefully he will share his experiences with us and we can help him sort them out.

Every kid gets picked on at some point in his school years. I pray as a father that I've given him enough tools to face what may come. It's not like he's heading of to war, just preschool but...these are the things fathers worry about late in the night when no one else is awake.

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