‘Twas the day after Christmas, and all thru the place
Everyone began going back to their old, normal pace.
The tree and the decorations were all neatly put away,
With holiday wishes tucked in the closet they’d stay.
The children were playing with new toys and things,

As I peeled the price tag from the cover of a new book I had purchased, I placed it on the shirt my seven year old son was wearing.

My wife, who was looking on, pulled Jacob to her and asked, “How much is he worth, daddy?” As she read the price from the tag, she playfully said aloud, “I don’t know if anyone would pay that much for him.”

“Well, that depends upon whether they see him on a good day or a bad day,” I continued the teasing.

Last fall, we drove to Niagara Falls during our vacation. I had always heard that it was a beautiful sight, but in the back of my mind I kept thinking, “It’s a waterfall – what’s the big deal?”

When we got there, I was in awe. What I saw just took my breath away. No picture or video or words can describe the beauty of God’s creation. If you haven’t been there, I can’t explain it … especially the scenery from the tour boat that drives you so near the bottom of the falls that you must wear a raincoat because of all of the spraying water that hits you.

During a visit to Cape Cod we took a 40 minute ferry ride out to the Martha’s Vineyard island. And let me tell you … what a spectacular view!

Shoreland in brilliant fall colors. Sailboats gliding across the water. Lighthouses dotting the beaches. Seagulls floating effortlessly through the salty air. In a word, picturesque.

My wife and I just took it all in and enjoyed the moment.

And even though it was a beautiful sight to behold, guess what our 4-year old boy, Jacob, was doing?

My dad has always been my biggest fan. As a youngster, I excelled in sports…and my dad was always an active part of my athletics.

Early on, I played a lot of baseball. Summer after summer my dad would load up our truck and cart half of my team to our games. Home games, away games, regular games, all-star games, tournament games – my dad was at all of them.

He was always there, in the stands, cheering on his son, proud as he could be of me…whether I made that game-winning unbelievable catch in the tournament game or I struck out with the bases loaded. I was his son and he was proud of me.