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A Father's Pride

I was watching "Kung Fu Panda 2" tonight with Patrick asleep over my shoulder; watching Po as he learned about his parents and who his father really was.  It got me thinking about who my son will be and the pride I will always feel for him.

I was also remembering the day he first came into my life.

When Jen and I got married, my father told me about his wedding day ... how my mother winked to him as she came down the isle and he knew everything would be OK.  As I saw my bride, she took my breath away.  Literally.  I forgot to breathe.  Partway down the isle, she winked at me (I wasn't the only one that heard that story) and I too knew, deep inside me, that everything would be OK.  Little did I know the journey we were beginning together.

At the time, I imagined I knew the height of emotion; of the love in my life.  Boy, was I wrong ... that day, as Patrick struggled to come into the world, I saw a level of love and trust in my wife's eyes that I hope to remember for all time.  Had there not been more urgent matters to attend to, I could have gotten quite lost in her eyes.  I realized that day, that our love had grown into something infinitely more, it had changed and evolved into something much more amazing.

And now, I have a son.  An amazing person ... full of love and trust in a way that I never imagined.  I can't wait to see who he grows into and how his life evolves.

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