Before Kim and I had Viola, we often thought that perhaps we would never have children. There were a couple of reasons for this. We were having so much fun and enjoying our life together so much that there was really no reason to complicate things. Also, for much of my young adult life, the world and the economy were in turmoil. Doomsayers sold books about the coming environmental Armageddon, the Vietnam war destroyed our country's self esteem, and the cold war was always there in the background. It just didn't seem to be a good place to bring more humans into.
But around the age of 30, things changed. The world seemed to brighten somewhat, and that ticking sound in the background wasn't a bomb, it turned out to be a biological clock. All of a sudden it seemed like now or never.
The feeling of seeing your first born child for the first time was another of those indescribable things that you must experience to really understand. Standing there, watching Kim cuddle our little baby Viola, a feeling of purpose surged through me. I knew then and there the true purpose of my life. In that moment, I instantly became aware of "what it was all about". Again, writing these things can't convey the feelings and purpose that had become my new reality, but it was an awesome feeling.
Watching my children grow and flourish, struggle and succeed, undertake challenges and overcome them is the big payoff. Whether it was Viola, Emily, Maggie or Lucy, watching them, and helping them to take on life is my "raison d'etre" my reason for existence.
With none of my girls at home right now, these experiences are less frequent. So, last Saturday was a wonderful day when Kim and I got to go watch Lucy run her second half marathon (13.1 miles). It was in Davis, and we left Friday night to stay with Kim's cousins who live there. On arrival we visited some, and our hosts (the Tysons) offered us bicycles to use on race day to be more mobile and get a better view of the race. This was a last minute development that really made the event for us.
On race morning, Kim and I pedaled to the starting line (about 3 miles) and wished our Lucy luck. The name of the race was "The Lucky Run". It was a week before St. Patrick's day, and the "luck of the Irish" was the theme. Green was everywhere.
Here is how it went...
Pictures and sounds tell a better story than I ever could. The background music is probably the best description of my emotions as the race developed. I do want to say however, that the best part of the day was walking Lucy back to her car after we had gotten lunch at a local burger joint. We were walking along, and she reached over and grabbed my arm as we strolled along. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and I was the luckiest Daddy on earth!
That's All!
