August 29, 1964. 5 PM. A garage in Moncks Corner, South Carolina.

A mechanic is down by my 1962 Chevy 2, cleaning graffiti and rice off and out of it.

It’s my wedding day.

I was, as usual, impatient. Tapping my foot. Anxious to get back on the road and off toward New York for our honeymoon.

He looked up at me from down by the car, noting my body language and said…

“Hey buddy. You got from now on.”

“From now on” translated to over 61 years.

Yeah, I’m crying again. But my thumb still works.

Why do we rush to get to a destination and forget about the journey?  And it’s a long one.  “You got from now on”

My grandson, Josh, and his lovely wife, Cierra just welcomed Emmitt Donald into this world. Their third child and, Glory Be, my third great gran’.

Three children. Wow!! An almost-5, an almost-2, and an infant.

To them I say, “Hey, you wonderful people, you got from now on!!”

Parenthood is forever. What a journey.

First comes the diaper phase. That’s the easy part.

Then they get mobile. Walking, running, jumping. That’s now for Josh and Cierra.

Then school starts. For a good part of the day, you are not there. That’s when your control starts to slip away. You begin to notice strange habits developing. Wow, you are not the only influence on them.

Good freakin’ luck.

Elementary. Middle. High School. Maybe College. Graduation.

Now you’re done, right?

Wrong!!

It’s just starting. They finish school and find a job. Love it. Hate it. They find the love of their life. Doesn’t matter. 

Life is a risky business. No guarantees. You’ll still get the “Uh, Dad” calls.

I know from which I speak. I’m eighty freakin’ seven years old. My kids are middle aged. One is a Grandma.

Who’d a thunk?

I still love, care about, worry about, and will do anything I can for my kids, their kids, and yes, their kids.

It Never Ends.

Thank the Lord.

Enuf?