Thinking of Children

Back in 2005 I wrote a letter to each of you telling you how proud I was of you and all that you had and are accomplishing. Now four years later I realize how little I have actually told each of you how much I appreciate having you as my children.

If fathers are judged by the quality and accomplishments of their children then I am a very fortunate father.

Every day I wish that I could be nearby to watch and marvel at what you have become and are becoming.

Every day I wish that each of you could be close by so that I could tell you how much you mean to me.

Every day I am thankful for having you as my children. I call you my children but in reality each of you are your own person, grown to become what you are. My role has long since passed into the shadows and now you are doing "your thing", becoming the person that YOU wish to be and WILL become.

Watching, hoping, wishing that each of you will have joy and happiness in your life in the measure that you have brought to me in my life.

When I hear stories of parents whose children are problems, I realize how lucky I was to have had you who were not problems; who were joys; who filled me; who made my life meaningful.

Today, tomorrow and every day in the future I will think of you and all that you mean to me. I wish you every success in your lives. I see your wonderful accomplishments and I think how hard you have worked to reached there plateaus. I wish I could have provided a ladder so that the steps to where you are now would not have been struggles to reach but rather steps that were easy.

Saying that, I realize that whatever comes easily really ins't worth the work it took to get there and that working hard and struggling results in the understanding of the value of what has been accomplished.

So, if any of you read this, just know that I love you and think of you ofen and wish you well in your lives.

More Snow

I spent much of my outdoor time last week shovelling the drive. I managed to get the truck down to the road by driving over the front lawn where the snow was not as deep as in the drive. Then I started shavelling from the road up toward the garage. I moved the truck further and further up the lane as I shovelled.

The days friday to Sunday were springlike and I was actually having fun moving chunks of snow. By Sunday afternoon the truck was almost halfway to the garage.

On monday morning Audrey and I left for a day trip to Moncton in the car. It began snowing shortly after we crossed the bridge and by the time we got to Moncton there was enough snow that the plows were on the road.

We left Moncton at noon because the storm was getting worse and we didn't want to be away for another day. After a little over three hours of white knuckle driving for our hundred and fifty km we arrived home and managed to get the car into the end of the drive but knew then that it was stuck there.

My truck was invisible under a mound of new snow. Looking up the drive the house was not visible. We trudged through thigh deep shallow spots to reach the house.

Ya gotta love winter some years.

I wonder what the prognosis is for being able to move the truck when the snow recedes in a few weeks?