Building sand castles…for my children
When I was four I wanted to be a fireman. When I was five I wanted to be a garbage man. When I turned seven I wanted to be a priest (the apple wasn’t falling far from the birth tree). At eight I wanted to be a corporate litigator in the security division of a Fortune 100 company. (Yeah, right.) At eight I went off the radar and had no idea what I wanted to be, and I stuck by that until…well, until today when I’m still looking for a good entry level job.
Through the years I came to realize something very important. I realized you don’t grow up to “be” anything. You might spend years doing something, but you were born being you and your life should be spent being the best you in the world.
On February 8, 1976 I fully understood that in addition to being who you are, you can be a father. On that cold day at Good Samaritan Hospital in West Islip I became a father for the first time. Holding Jennifer Lauren in my arms only moments after she took her first breath of air was the most amazing experience in the world. I couldn’t take my eyes off her. She was perfect in every way.
Jennifer was full of life. A hug and a smile from her were worth more than anything. Watching her grow I was filled with such great pride because she was growing into a wonderful woman. Always kind…and somewhat cautious…Jennifer was daddy’s little girl.
Today she is a wonderful wife to Bryan and the mother of three of the most adorable girls on the face of the earth, Jillian, Brielle and Addyson. She’ll always be my little girl.
Sunday, November 12, 1978 at Martha Washington Hospital in Fredericksburg, Jeremy Scott came into the world and I had my first son…a red head! He had a smile that could knock your socks off. I couldn’t hug him enough. Having a first son defies description, especially one like Jeremy.
He was loving and he was kind. I knew he would make a great big brother. Today he is a loving husband to Sarah and the proud father to Andrew and Emily…two more red heads!
Jeremy is quiet and never seeks the spotlight, but I can tell you this, to this day he’s center stage for me. I can depend on him and I know that he’s always there for me, as I am for him.
Two years later on Sunday, November 30, 1980 at Martha Washington Hospital, Nicholas Ryan burst on the scene causing quite a stir because he made the other babies in the nursery pale in comparison. And he had red hair!
Nicholas was filled with spirit and I knew that he was going to be feisty, and that was a good thing. We called him our “tough kid,” but we also knew that inside he was a marshmallow. Nicholas is experiencing fatherhood for the first time with Landon and sharing the joy with Courtney. He hasn’t lost a bit of his feistiness.
Nicholas might be a middle child in birth order, but there is no pecking order in my heart. He was a joy as a toddler and he still fills me with joy today.
St. Anthony’s Hospital, Warwick – Saturday, August 25, 1984 was the day that Kieran Alexander entered from stage left and joined his siblings. He was the third red head! And being the youngest he knew that he had his work cut out for him.
He made me laugh. He still makes me laugh (and still costs me money). He is a race car running at 160 mph. He won’t settle because he has dreams. And dreams are a good thing because without them life isn’t worth living. Kieran will never just settle for settle’s sake. He wants more than that out of life.
Being a father has been my blessing, but it wouldn’t have been possible without Patty, the original red head. The Lucy to my Ricky Ricardo.
And although father’s day is set aside for fathers, it’s really mother’s day all over again for me because Patty made all things possible.
Along The Yellow Brick Road 