I starting working when I was able to walk and talk. My first job was carrying small tools back and forth to my dad on job sites. My dad had his own carpentry business, which he worked evenings and weekends. Over the years since I have held almost every big and little job known to man including; paperboy, gas station attendant, (back in the days when the attendant still pumped gas) construction laborer, glass cutter, window assembler, roofer, carpenter, painter, electrician, plumber, mason, salesman, drafting & design technician, landscaper, web site designer, videographer, photographer, computer technician, local church pastor, corporate CEO and magazine editor. I have experienced nearly every kind of economic recession, inflation, depression and expansion more than a few times. Through it all I have learned some great and profound lessons, none more important than a simple faith in God to get me, my businesses and my loved ones through each day, one day at a time.

Some of those days were easy. They passed quickly and rest came easy at the end of the day. Others seemed hard and rest was gained only on bended knee at the edge of sleep. Through forty years of great excitement and horrifying challenges I can say my faith has never gone unanswered, even in the most impossible of circumstances. The years of tribulation have given me a great appreciation for what is truly important; country, community, our schools, family, our local churches and friends. The conscious days of our lives begin when our eyes open from sleep and end when we drift off to the night's rest. In that space we have about sixteen hours to live well. The challenge each day is to fend off the thousand things that try to rob you of the time you have for what is important. Getting home from work sometimes seems like a thousand mile hike across the Appalachian Mountains. Playing catch in the yard with my daughter often seems harder to arrange than a corporate realignment. But this is what good dads do. Father's day this year is June 19th. It's a good day to remember all the dads out there who live each day, one day at a time, often relying only on faith to get by, for all the people they love.

Thanks Dad. And thanks to my Dad above.