It’s the first few minutes of 2012, and I saw that I haven’t posted this on my blog, although I started writing it in mid October. I’ll put some finishing touches up on this and post it post-haste!

Well today my eldest son got on a jet to take him from Denver Colorado to Columbia, South Carolina to Army boot camp.  This is something that he’s been looking forward to and planning since last December. I wish him the best of luck and hope that his dreams become his reality!

I have two other children that are still ‘in the coop’. A 16 year old girl (who is now 17!) and a 13 year old boy. Sooner than you know it, they will be out of the house too… starting their lives, getting apartments and going to school.  It happens to everyone at some time, but that time seems to blow by so darned fast. I still remember holding My oldest son right after he was born, and then all the activities and such that we participated in through the years.

I have been writing Josh every day (well almost every day, let’s say fairly regularly….) and have found at times it’s a very hard thing to do since I rarely get any mail back from him, and the occasional phone call is always way too short, I don’t always remember what I wanted to tell him, or ask him… it’s a bit frustrating to say the least. This year he is spending his whole break in Colorado, he got a quote from his travel agency for something like 800 bucks for a round trip ticket out here, but I found a flight for more like less than 300 bucks round trip. He had his mind set about the whole thing, so we are missing him being out here this year. I hope that in future years he will want to spend time out here with us every once in a while.

When he was born, I never thought I would be a father, or even a good father… Well I think I turned out to be a pretty damned good father! And I hope that as the years roll on by he will still feel comfortable talking with me about things, and asking questions about the whole big thing called life. I don’t know if I remember what the scale of intelligence or percieved intelligence is for parents by their kids…  I know that when they are young, you are the smartest being on the planet! Somewhere in the teen years you all of a sudden become this droolling self defacating (I know, I should have said depricating, but if I’m droolin.. there ain’t nothing left but lack of bowel control too) idiot who thinks they know what kids are going through, because you never were a kid, and things are different and so on…  I want to get to that place where my Son will think I know something of value again. I’m sure he says he does (but the truth may be different).

So I started this rambling post in Mid October of 2011, and am finishing it 19 to 20 minutes into the new year of 2012! The final thing I do want to say is – I’m proud of you Josh! and I love you, and miss you more than you will ever know. Thanks for making me the father that I am.

Happy New Year, may 2012 be more than you expected, less than you dread and overall a warm and comforting year!

Dad.