Happy Birthday!

I would like to wish my father a Happy 50th Birthday today. My mom turned 50 about a month ago and my father-in-law turns 50 in about two months. And Momma Heesch - you're just the lucky young one :)

Anyway, the fact that our parents are all turning 50 has made me stop to realize what wonderful people that they are. The older I get the more I realize the impact that my parents have had on my life. I would absolutely not be the same person without them. The way they taught me has shaped how I look at the world, how I treat others, how I respond to crisis situations, how I handle everything in a day, the way I cook, the way I talk, my interactions at work, the life I live all really comes back to my parents. I can't ever truly understand or even express how much I love them and how much I appreciate all that they did and continue to do in my life.

Makes me scared, too. What will 25 year old Jaden be saying when I'm 50? Will we all still be here? What will the world be like? Will I be able to be the parent that I aspire to be, like my parents were? Or will I fall dreadfully short and live a life of regrets?

Here's to great parents! And the hope that my son will one day say the same thing...