It was 30 Years ago today........

It was 30 years ago today.....No, we are not going to sing along with the Beatles Sgt.
Pepper.

Thirty years ago today, I first became a Father when my oldest son James was born.

I can remember the time leading up to his birth and being keenly aware that everything in my life was going to change with the birth of this baby.  I was the one person who was responsible for me & my girlfriend ( unmarried at the time) and then I would also be responsible for the life of this newborn child.

There was a moment when my girlfriend was in labor and I went to get a drink from the soda
machines in the lower level of St. Margaret's Hospital in Dorchester where she was having
the baby. I needed a drink and to take a short break while we were waiting for the arrival of the baby.

I'm there, standing in front of the soda machine trying to decide what kind of soda to have and then it hit me with complete clarity.

I was thinking, " What the hell are you thinking about - what kind of soda to have???  You will very soon have many more worries to handle then what kind of soda to select..."

It was a surreal moment of the two things intersected in a way that stuck with me all these years.  Life changes and in many ways we never expect.

So here we are thirty years later - My oldest son is grown, a Navy Veteran, married and
making his own way in the world.  He is a smart kid and has many opinions about what is
right and wrong with our world.

In the 30 years that he has been alive, there have been a ton of changes for me and him.

He has made us proud and all he has accomplished shows that his parents didn't do that bad either.

Happy 30th Birthday James !!!  We love you and we are very proud of you !!

Hope that all who read this share the same pride in being a parent as you reach milestones
like this and see that all your efforts were very worthwhile.