Introspection

Hey all,

I had a whole column in my mind for this post today, hell, I have several things I wanted to write about still, but this is pretty much something that is heavy upon my mind. I went up to Flagstaff to hang out with my friend Bill and his wife Tuesday night. Normally this is something i do in which I take at least two days with, but with my work schedule of late I had to be back in town the next day. I wasn't really looking forward to the two hour drive up only to turn around and do the same drive back in less than 24 hours. I had already cancelled on bill once though, and it had been a while since I had been up north, so guilt and a bit of persistence on Bill's part were key factors in heading up, well plus the fact that I actually wanted to see my friend.

We had a pretty good time. We played with his 7 month old son Zander and watched some wonderfully terrible movies until his wife came home. Then we went out for a few beers and played a little bit of pool. I always have a good time with hanging out with Bil and his wife. They are genuinely good people. It was the next morning before I left that got me thinking though. As we were eating breakfast they asked me something that caught me really off guard. They asked me to be Zander's godfather.

This was a huge surprise to me. Being a godfather, while to some people, may not seem like that big of a deal, but to me it means a lot. I look at it very traditionally, and so do they I think. To understand that they want me to have an impact on their son's life is a huge responsibility. That if , Lord forbid, something where to happen to them that I would act as Zander's male role model. That is no small feat. I was caught so unaware, I don't think I really conveyed how asking this made me feel. Honored and grateful to be sure, but it was the act itself, of asking me in a small sense, to be a part of their family. That is special. Especially for me, someone who really doesn't see a family or children in his future, to be given the opportunity to participate in someones life like that. To understand that they think I can be a positive influence on their son, and can be someone that is a part of his world for the rest of his life, means so much to me.

These are the moments that make me realize how lucky I am to have friends like I do. It's amazing how they open their lives up to let me in, to be a part of something inherently blood. I can know in my mind that I would never do something to let them down, to male them ashamed or regretful of their choice. I want them to know that I will always be there. That they can trust me, and that I will never betray that trust. But most of all, that I will treat this responsibility as a privilege, as a badge of honor, as a measure of trust and friendship. That I will never let Zander down.

This is what I think about being named godfather. This is how serious I take this sacred privilege.

End of Line.
Gerrad!