Dads birthday

We recently got to celebrate my dad's 70th birthday. It came right after Thanksgiving and so it was the first time that my WHOLE family had been together in 3 years. John and Barbie and the girls were here from St. Louis and my sister was able to take some much needed time off. Many people know that I wasn't especially "close" to my dad while I was growing up, but since becoming an adult and he becoming a grampy our realtionship has changed. He has been really sick the last 8 years or so. Every year he is here is truely a gift. From the heart attacks, cancers, spider bites and hip replacements, you just never know whats going to come up. But what I know from experience, is that each of these do bring us closer and THAT is something to really be thankful for.

He's a tough SOB and I hope that a sliver of that tenacity and bravery gets passed to me and my sons. Love you Dad.