Happy Birthday, Papa G!

Happy Birthday, Papa G!

Today we celebrated a very special birthday.  My dad, known to Claire as "Papa G," turned twenty-nine today.  (Funny, he turned twenty-nine last year, and the year before, and the year before . . . .)

For those of you who don't know my dad, he is one incredible guy.  It is from him that I developed my strong work ethic, my love of reading and writing, and my affinity for cooking. 

Growing up, my dad had a busy schedule filled teaching, coaching, and other extracurricular activities.  He spent every night marking essays at our kitchen table.  As a teacher, he was driven by his commitment to his students and his desire to help them succeed.  On many nights, he simply could have "taken the night off" with no consequences (he was after all the teacher); however, he forged ahead knowing that his students were counting on him to provide candid and constructive feedback to help them learn and improve. 

Even with his busy teaching, coaching, and marking schedule, he took time to read to me every night; by the time I was four, he was reading me novels like "The Hobbit."  I fondly remember many evenings spent listening to my dad read stories written by remarkable authors.  I loved the way the stories were woven together, and I enjoyed conjuring images in my head as scenes played out on the page.

My dad cooked our family dinner every night and made sure my mom, my brothers and I sat down together for a nice supper, even with our busy schedules.  I have always been grateful for the time we spent together as a family around the dinner table.  (Even if most dinners ended up with one of us kids being sent to our room for misbehaving!)

It is because of him that I am the mom to Claire that I have been able to be.  He taught me to be strong in the face of adversity and to "forge ahead" for Claire's benefit, even when I am tired or things seem difficult.  He taught me to be resourceful, thoughtful, and compassionate and to write from the heart.  Most significantly, he taught me the importance of family and helped me realize the joy of living in the moment.

Thank you, Dad!  I hope you have a wonderful birthday!  Here's to MANY, MANY more to come!