This little guy, who seems to be a confused member of The Village People (hmmm...Indian or Construction hunk??), is me. The picture is a little ragged, but it was in my father's wallet when he died. I enjoy seeing it, because I know how proud I am of my son, and I can see that he felt the same way. My dad was 23 when I came along, and here he is probably 25.

The little fellow is beginning to grow, and learn how to do things. As a seven year old, here I am with my dad. He is holding me up, keeping me steady, balanced, preventing me from cracking my skull on the pavement. The Christmas of 1977 was cold and windy, and right before this picture was taken, he pulled a fresh white handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the snot from my nose. Such is a vital part of being a dad, but I am not too sure about the gloves that he equipped me with, as the number on the bike, the gloves on the hands, and the hair on the head shouldn't always match! My father died 8 years later, at the age of 35. This ended the part of my life that can best be described as "The Life that was", as everything since then has been filtered through 1983. In an odd way, this is the year that I stopped dreaming, and began to fear, to rush, to push. I set goals for myself, that all centered around when I would be 35. I had to have my Doctorate degree, write my book, and start my family by the age of 35. Deep, or perhaps just below the surface, I feared that I too would die at the same young age.

I spoke with an acquaintance turned friend the other day. He is a neat guy, a man's man, but what I love the most about him is that he does not take himself too serious. He has the face and head of Charlie Brown, but with the goatee of Charlie Chan. After reading these soul ramblings, and hearing me open up a little bit, he shared some great encouragement. Upon finding out that my birthday is January 4th, he said,"Look, you have almost made it, you have beat it, you have won!" After he finished, in a warp speed back to my teenage years, I heard Barry Manilow sing.."Looks like We've made It!". Two unlikely teammates, Mr. Chan and Mr. Manilow said the same thing!!



Now when I look at this picture, I see that it can be interpreted two different ways. For 24 years, my dad has been holding me back, keeping me still, stopping progress. But, now that I am 36, he is pushing me off, saying, "Keep it steady", and allowing me to pedal freely.

If I fall, so be it, but....pedal I will!

Hey world, how do you like my gloves?

Pretty spiffy, huh.

Happy 36th birthday to me, and thanks to Christ, Mr. Barry Manilow and Mr. Charlie Chan, I can take off the training wheels. I am Free!