Happy Birthday Travis

Okay, somebody needs to stop the clock, because it’s going way too fast! Today my son Travis turns 42 years old. How in the world could I possibly have a child that old? I’m barely out of puberty myself! I thought the calculator was messed up, so I did the math three or four times. No way can I have a kid that old! But I do. I could have sworn this picture was just taken last week.

Travis and I have a special bond because for much of his youth I was a single father and it was just the two of us stumbling through life. That was a role I never saw myself in, and I know I made a lot of mistakes. But I was always trying to do the best for him and for his sister, who lived with their mother. When you have a baby, nobody gives you a manual on how to do things right. You sort of have to fly by the seat of your pants and hope you get it right.

I think Travis was around 12 when this picture was taken. I think he’s looking at my old high school yearbook, thinking his old man could never have been that young.

And here he is a year or so later, right after we moved to Arizona’s White Mountains. By then he was as tall as his dad. Yes, I was bald back then, too, but at least what hair I had and my beard were dark. But I wasn’t quite so “well-rounded” as I am today.

My son and I had some rough years, and for a long time we were estranged. But then he met a lovely lady who brought us back together. At the time, her father was going downhill and she made us both realize that time doesn’t wait. Here is Travis and that lady, his wife Geli, when they visited us a while back.

Don’t let all those tattoos and the beard fool you. He may look rough and tough, but he is one of the gentlest souls you will ever meet. He loves animals, has a passion for gardening and growing things, is an awesome photographer, and still kisses his dad on the cheek when he sees me. Here is a night sky shot of the Milky Way he took the other day and shared with me.

Happy birthday, Travis. If I haven’t told you lately, I love you. And I’m so very proud of you, and proud to be your dad. We look forward to seeing you two later this week.

Thought For The Day – If you didn’t see it with your own eyes, or hear it with your own ears, don’t invent it with your small mind and share it with your big mouth.