« Reply #25 on: April 18, 2017, 06:01:50 pm »
For the record, I love my family: wife, 3 "kids" (30, 28, 15) and grandson. Whenever I get depressed or PO'ed about life, I turn the focus back to them, how much they've made my life such an adventure. It's been different...married into a large family: wife has 6 sisters, 3 brothers, and I have nearly two dozen nieces and nephews on her side of the family. My side of the family never understood it, you just have to live it, I guess.
As to my earlier comments about becoming a parent again in your (late) 40s...it's been worth it. Four years ago, my then 11 YO son and I did a road trip, just the two of us. Our travels took us to Tucumcari NM, Four Corners NM, Monument Valley, Kanab UT (Parry Lodge), Zion NP, Bryce Canyon NP, and nearly making it to the back gate of Area 51 (we made it the following year). That included a day of canyoneering in Water Canyon (near the polygamist community of Hildale), and horseback riding at Monument Valley and Bryce Canyon. We also made it a point to stop and take pictures at the very spot that Forrest Gump stopped running (north of Monument Valley).
Last December was another memorable trip, with my 3 boys (2 sons and 6 YO grandson) trekking to Nashville to see Gonzaga take on Tennessee. My grandson was selected to participate in the halftime entertainment, a "slam dunk" contest with two other boys. We spent 3 days in Nashville, and stopped at Sun Studio in Memphis on the drive home.
All in all, these moments would not have been possible without the blessings bestowed on me.
These memories are far more valuable to me than a few more bucks in the checking account.
Wealth is much more than how much you have accumulated in bank accounts. A lasting legacy is a huge part of wealth IMHO!
Logged
"I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo.
"So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us."
- J. R. R. Tolkien
