Brendan turned twenty-five at 6:52 a.m. this morning. A quarter of a century! How is that even possible? How could the youngest of our three boys be that old already? Kathy and I have only known each other for 11,912 days, that’s…… oh,…. almost 33 years. Hmmm…. Never mind. Time flies when we’re havin’ fun, I guess!
Raising three boys has been a challenge — a challenge I’ve thoroughly enjoyed. As someone told me once, no one said it was going to be easy, just that it would be worth it. It has most definitely been worth it. Kathy and I sat through countless basketball, baseball, and soccer games during those years. We witnessed the proverbial thrill of victory and agony of defeat on a regular basis. We observed academic struggles and successes. I don’t even want to think about all the elementary school Christmas programs we endured. Through it all, we never lost our confidence that our boys, who are all grown men now, would find success in their own ways. And they have.
Life has a way of surprising us, providing opportunities we never anticipated, or even deserved. That was certainly the story of my life. My boys, too, experienced this phenomenon. All three of them have capitalized on unexpected opportunities in their lives. They’ve never shied away from hard work. They’ve all developed excellent social skills. And all three of them learned early-on that honesty and integrity would serve them well in life. We celebrate these attributes in our youngest son today.
Brendan is employed full-time at The Harker School in San José. He has proven himself to be consistently conscientious, responsible, and productive in the workplace. He regularly exceeds expectations. Because of this, he has earned the respect of his supervisors and coworkers. He still hopes that, at some point, he might have the opportunity to continue playing basketball, or coaching, but, for now, he’s grateful to be fully employed with benefits at a reputable educational institution where he can make a positive difference. I’m not exactly sure how, but somewhere along his life journey, Brendan developed a true attitude of gratitude!
Speaking of gratitude,… I am tremendously grateful for the three young men entrusted by God to Kathy and me. Today in particular, I’m grateful for Brendan, as he celebrates twenty-five years of physical, spiritual, and emotional growth, twenty-five years of learning, twenty-five years of life experience, twenty-five years of successes and failures, and twenty-five years of loving and being loved. He’s a good guy. I don’t know where life will lead him in the next twenty-five years, but I’m confident that the best is yet to come.
Happy Birthday, Brendan!
