Hello to all! First of all I want to say thank you to Larry for his post, especially the comments about my dad and also for the suggestions you listed. I am extremely thankful for the male role models we have in this family. With the world trying to pull us in the opposite direction, it is awesome to know you have a family base that can pull much stronger. As each day rolls by, I realize how much of an impact a father has on his children, especially a son. Thanks to all of the men in this family that have shaped my life. The last couple of weeks have been weird for me (in a good way!). Pa has been on my mind a lot lately. I have really missed him. I'm not sure what prompted these feelings other than me being more aware of the little man I'm helping to develop. Pa was (and continues to be) a major influence in my life. And those influential things were not the times that he sat me down to have a talk (not his style). It was the everyday things he did that I'm sure he thought went unnoticed. And, at the time, I didn't realize I was paying attention, but apparently I was! Unfortunately, I was too young and naive to truly realize these things before he died. I never took the opportunity to tell him how much I appreciated him. But one day I'll have another chance. I will find him, sit down with him and share what's on my heart. Something tells me he's watching and he already knows.

What a scary (but awesome) responsibility to have that much influence in your son's/grandson's life! How quickly they learn (both good and bad!) We try so hard to help them avoid making the mistakes we made when we were young, that we sometimes end up creating new mistakes without knowing it. And they, in turn, end up helping their son avoid those "new" mistakes and then create even more new ones! It will happen and there's nothing we can do to avoid that. What's encouraging is that, with God's help, He will guide us through this journey and hopefully our sons will realize this as I have (and continue to do so). I am certain there is not an end to this life lesson. I'm sure my dad has realized new things as his children became adults and then, became parents themselves. I'm sure grandparents have a new list of things to learn (and teach). Although I'm the type of person that would rather learn something and cross it off my "Things to Learn" list, I actually look forward to keeping this item permantly open. My hope is that Harrison will develop the same respect and admiration for my dad that I have with Pa and that his son will feel the same about me. I only wish that I could've gotten to know Papaw better. Being in first grade when he died, I don't have too many memories. But the memories I have are good ones. I remember having a SpiderMan that rode a motorcycle that I would break it at least once a week. But I would take it to Papaw everytime it broke and he would take me to his workshop, put my toy in a vice and fix what was wrong. He would never turn me away. He would ALWAYS fix it, even though he knew I would break it again. God is always there to fix things, no matter how many times we bring him the same broken toy.

We worry about raising our sons because we love them so much and want the abolute very best for them. Imagine sacrifing their lives in order to save those that hated you. I can't. So, why shouldn't we celebrate daily, the fact that God loved us that much. We, as a family, are so fortunate to not only have the opportunity to celebrate the life of our fathers and grandfathers, but to celebrate the life of Jesus too.