The Rarest of Occasions

Day 295:

You know Conor, there's much to say with respect to the balance of maintaining relationships of those you'll meet in this life.  Some you'll know for a passing glance, others a lifetime.  Regardless of who they are and to what end you know them there's work that goes into each and every one.  Some of those relationships are easy, others take considerably more work.  And while I subscribe to the belief that marriage is forged in love, it takes a fair amount of work to sustain the fundamentals of the relationship over time, and that shouldn't be lost on anybody who's never walked down that isle.  For those that have, they know this all to well...

Tomorrow your Mother and I will be celebrating 10 years of marriage, Son.  And while the most of it has been balanced and understood, there have been times of trouble and difficulty as well.  Some time ago in this very blog I'd mentioned something similar in so far as what it takes to manage your life while being respectful of others.  Every one of us have decisions to make each and every day and those decisions are what brings you to the juxtaposition of life.  When evaluating your choices and the decisions you make, what could have been the outcome if you'd gone the other way.  And those are the lessons that last.

In the case of me and your Mom we've decided to fight through the hard times in the understanding that the good times are far more frequent.  And to be sure we've crossed rivers that have challenged our marriage.  Still, the decision was made, both collectively and individually, that what we have in this life together is worth fighting for, and so we have.  The reward in that has been the most wonderful thing either of us could have ever imagined... You.

While sitting here relaxing after a nice night out to dinner with friends, I'm reminded of all of what has gotten us to this very point and I take account...  The decisions to stay and fight when times have gotten tough have led us both to this very point, and neither of us could have ever imagined the bounty that is the birth, life, and experiences of knowing and loving our baby boy; Conor Daniel Yerkes.

Being a parent is an honor, Son.  Being your parent is a winning lottery number that all the money in the world could never buy.  And this 10 year wedding anniversary, for all it encompasses, has given us those winning numbers, Son.  For this, I'm so very grateful.  Your Mom too...

So let's wish your Mother a happy anniversary, Conor!  Because everything we are is in thanks to her.  Well, almost everything...

I love you, Son.  WE love you, Son.  So very, very much...
-Dad