Happy Birthday, Bird! Daddy LOVES you!

Tomorrow is a huge day for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, tomorrow shows that going back to school at the age of 38 was not a waste of time last year. I took a 12 month Medical Assistant course at a local vocational/technical institution, and graduated this past December with a 4.0 GPA. After years of being in banking, I am now a Medical Assistant - so I went from being a blood sucker to a blood drawer! I kid...but not really.

Tomorrow is equally, if not more so, important because 6 years ago tomorrow, my life gained a completely different meaning and focus. I became a father for the first (and only) time. Of course, I did have the training wheels of being a stepfather for a year prior to that, but this was different. I was responsible for EVERYTHING for this child. I was scared to death - still am. Six years has only frightened me even more.

On February 9, 2004, on a very chilly Monday night, at 11:17 PM, a little girl was born at Vassar Brothers Medical Center. She was 7 pounds, 13 ounces, 20 inches long, and feisty. Her given name was Emily Grace Winters, and she was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. My wife Janel was so brave in going through that ordeal. I was told when we were married that I had ONE SHOT to give her a girl - and I couldn't have asked for a better one.

Everything I do now has a meaning that it never did before I became a father. Sure, there's a lot more responsibility, but I gladly accept that. To see her smile feels like a warm blanket completely covers me. To hear "I love you Daddy" makes me feel completely unworthy of such high praise, but because I love her so much back, it kind of evens out.

So as I start my new career tomorrow, I do so with the express intent of providing for my wonderful family - my beautiful wife, my two awesome little goofballs Wyatt and Cole, and for my legacy....my beautiful Baby Bird. For you Emily, I (eye) LOVE (self hug) YOU (point to you) FOR (4 fingers up) EVER (3 fingers sideways to make an "E").