Tales of the Ordinary Days

Headline banner to the paper in the fall of 2013 before Ben's shenanigans (and for our use in life lesson training for him) It's been over ten years since my divorce. When I recently thought of this milestone, I was doubting my mental math. Has it really been that long? Then I remembered the faces of our three young sons at that critical point in time. Comparatively to their 19, 23, 26 year-old selves today, I know this timeline to be true. I vividly remember picking up our youngest two from grade school on the day I filed. I was pretty sure they hadn't a clue on the news I was going to deliver. My intuition was correct. I painfully watched as they both broke into sobs following my disclosure. Grant simply cried, while twelve-year-old Ben pleaded with me. "Will Dad still be your best friend??" It seemed like such an odd thing for my young son to say at the time. And it has probably taken these past ten years for me to fully appreciate what he saw in his...

My green 'Game Day' shirt was befitting of Grant's graduation party prep So Baby has graduated. Yes, it is true. The last Lane boy birdie to leave the nest. And the weekend has been nothing short of a whirlwind of events, from baccalaureate to party to commencement. All in about a 24 hour span. After we closed the final night of festivities with a celebratory beer and wings with our extended clan, I finally laid in our comfy bed ready for some well needed rest. Carefully reflecting on our weekend of chaos in our soft quiet, Garrett asked how I felt. He knew how much I was looking forward to this milestone for Grant and for me. "What was your favorite part of the weekend?" he asked. Without hesitation, I knew my answer. "Definitely the setting up for the party with Scott, Kat, and the boys. That was definitely the best." Garrett probed further, as I am sure he thought the beer and exhaustion had an undue influence on me. "Really? How...