Life can really be crazy. 2014 has been a challenging year, to say the least. It started incredible, with the birth of our son Spencer. But shortly after that, Christina and I have run into so many challenges, obstacles, and just plain bad stuff. Ive lost three friends. Weve run into multiple challenges with home stuff, specifically our latest sewer backup that totally wrecked the basement. So many things this year just really have made us feel like we couldnt catch a break. Its been one thing after the other. We decided to plan ourselves a little family getaway. This weekend we were going to take Spencer to St Louis for several days and just have fun together. Six Flags, the Zoo, even a little toy hunting for Pixel Dad were going to be among the things we were planning. We were getting really excited. Then on Thursday, Spencer started showing signs of being sick. By Thursday evening, he was being rushed to the Emergency Room in an ambulance. Believe me...that was the scariest phone call I think Ive ever received. Thursday night was tough. But Spencer was well taken care of and stabilized. It soon became clear that our fun weekend was not going to happen. We had more important things to take care of. Our son needed us. At this point, you can imagine how we felt. It really was feeling like everything that could go wrong for us was. But we knew we had a responsibility, and we spent the next 3 nights and nearly 4 days in the hospital with our little boy, making sure he was comfortable, happy, and having the best time he possibly could. Yesterday, as I was stepping out to grab us some lunch, I walked past a very young boy and his mother in the lobby of the hospital. The boy had cancer. He was bald, and he and his mother were both wearing matching shirts with the boys name on them along with the cancer support ribbon. The boy was in such good spirits as his mom wheeled him through the lobby in a little red wagon. And it really hit me hard. My boy was upstairs with a virus that was affecting his respiratory system. It was scary, but he was stable and improving and we knew he was going to be coming home 100% soon. Some kids arent that lucky. Some parents arent that lucky. And I found myself feeling blessed, and also saying a little prayer for those who are facing challenges like that little boy. Later that day, I was sitting in the rocking chair and Spencer was curled up on my lap sleeping. The TV was on, as it was a lot since there is only so much you can do in a hospital room. I was watching Hook...a favorite movie of mine that Ive loved ever since I was a kid. Ive seen it a thousand times, but this time was different. The scene came where Peter Panning was remembering that he was THE Peter Pan. As he was remembering, he recalled the reason why he decided to grow up...because he wanted to be a daddy. It was that moment that he realized that his son was his happy thought, and he learned how to fly again. I know Im a big kid at heart. I still play with toys, for goodness sake. Ill probably always be that way. But you know what...if theres one good reason to grow up, being a daddy is definitely that reason. Spencer is my happy thought. Hes my everything. He and his mother both. They mean everything to me. And now were back home. Both are in bed sleeping, and Im sitting up realizing how great my life is. Its been a hard year, but there is always a reason to keep pushing on. My friends and family are my reason. :-)
Posted on: Mon, 06 Oct 2014 03:57:00 +0000
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