As I sit here contemplating the end of my birthday and what it means to be 49 years old, I am amazed that my life has come to where it is today! I have always looked on life with a positive attitude, but life has not always returned that favor! I have faced many trials and tribulations, but they have brought me to the most amazing place in life that I could have ever imagined! Today, I took stock of the blessings in my life! My mom and dad are both still with me and they have always stood by me and helped me get to where I am today! They may drive me crazy on occasion, but what parent and child don’t drive each other crazy, but I have always known they were there for me! I have the most amazing daughter that I could imagine! She pursued her dream and is now working as a fashion designer for the Karen Kane Company and she never let Type 1 Diabetes or anything else stand in her way! I have the most amazing son who ended his freshman year in college with a 3.99 average and is now pursing his dream to study abroad and expand his horizons! He has made it happen and I could not be more proud! I will miss him more than he will ever know, as I miss my daughter every day, but I would never hold them back because of my fears or weaknesses! They need to sore for themselves and to know that I will always be here if they need me to catch them! I think this is the hardest part of being a true parent! It is too easy to try to hold on when you should let go! At a time in my life where I was preparing to be alone, another amazing blessing came into my life! When I met Phyllis two years ago on this day, it was the most amazing birthday present I could ever receive! If I never get another birthday gift again, I’m good! She has changed my life for the better in so many ways! She has accepted my children as if they were her own, she brings adventure to every day of my life, and the love we share fills my heart with joy every day! I cannot imagine growing older with anyone else but her! Phyllis brought 3 amazing children into my life that make me feel young every day! The energy and joy they bring to everything they do amazes me every day and I cannot wait to see where they go! I could not be more proud to call myself stepfather to these wonderful kids! For someone contemplating a life alone, this may seem a huge change, but for me it seems like the most natural thing I could do! I have enough love to go around for all the people in my life! Finally, I owe an amazing thanks to a man that I barely knew! Three years ago, I met Richard Simmons at a workout in California! After the session, we waited to get his autograph! When we got to him, he stopped everything, pulled me aside and spoke to me! I have never told anyone everything he said, but the gist of it was that he looked me in the eye and said “You are going to die!” He then pointed to my kids and said are you ready to leave them behind? He went on to tell me everything I needed to do in order to get healthy and be here for my family and myself! I was overweight, in terrible shape, (my idea of exercise was a walk to the fridge!) and just did not take it seriously! I came back home and did everything he said! I have kept it up for 3 years and plan to be here for many more to keep it going! I turned my whole life around that day thanks to his words! He gave me the chance to keep doing the job I love helping young people find their way! He has allowed me more time to make all of the above possible! I hope I have paid some of that forward every day in my life! If you have read this far, you are a determined person! I would give you this advice: If you are not happy, make the hard changes in your life! If all you post on Facebook is negative, change that to only posting positive! If you believe it, you can make it happen, but that doesn’t means it’s going to be easy! There will always be difficulties in life, but if those difficulties out way the joys in your life, find a way to change that! I hope to have another 49 years to enjoy the good and bad in life, but if I don’t, I am pretty darn happy with where I have come so far! Thanks to all of you for the wonderful birthday wishes!
2015-09-09