Today is my dad's birthday. He is 63. That sounds so young to me now and of course to my girls, he is old with a capital Ancient!

Over the years I've watched Dad in various forms.... He has gone from a young, smart mouth rebellious kid, to a fun guy who occasionally drank too much, to a very successful hockey and fastball coach, to a guy who wrestled the demons from his past and won, to a shrewd money manager, to a kind and gentle man who humbly tries to follow Jesus. I watched as he fought for his life after some major heart attacks. As he mourned the deaths of family and close friends. I saw him choose to surrender his life to Jesus after a lifetime of believing he could do all and do it on his own. Under and among all these layers of my dad, is a man who is wholly committed to his wife and children (and now, his grandchildren). We and anyone else who knows him, always have understood that family is very important to him. And although he made some pretty good screw-ups, he still has managed to raise 3 kids who turned out pretty well and he has passed on some wise words, some quirky sayings, some strong values and a great example.

Happy birthday Dad. I love you.