“The biggest lesson for my kids is that they know they are the most important things I have. No matter what is going on in my life, your kids are forever.” – Lin Manual Miranda

As this trip winds down, there are so many memories and moments to reflect on. We have seen, experienced, learned, tasted, sweated, shivered, laughed, smiled, and heard so much more than could ever be conveyed in my feeble words. This trip has been epic in every sense of that overused word. But all that doesn’t matter, because for me the most important thing is I got to know my kids.

I’ve always made Gwyn and Drew a priority, but sometimes the world gets in the way. For the 2 ½ years before we left, COVID consumed my every ounce of time, energy and being. I swore I was never going to be in medical leadership again and COVID convinced me otherwise. For 2 ½ years, my team worked holidays, nights and weekends fighting unseen enemies, and we succeeded, saving over 200 lives in our community. I couldn’t be prouder of the work that was done, and it taught my kids a valuable lesson – that there are times in life when the needs of the many far outweigh the needs of your own. But that sacrifice came at a cost, and my family paid the price. I missed holidays, important events, and all the small but not inconsequential moments that make life what it is. I remember early on in covid coming home from work late and finding my crescent wrench and 2 sets of training wheels by the front door. I was both proud that my kids had the skills to take off their training wheels by themselves, but at the same time sad that I had missed that first ride your kid takes on a 2 wheel bike by themselves. That stereotypical moment when a dad helps their kid start on a journey to independence, one pedal at a time. Some moments you can’t get back…..

You can’t turn back time, but you can start anew and this year was a blessing in that direction. Not many parents get the chance to spend 24 hrs a day, 7 days a week for a whole year with their kids. Sure we may have wanted to kill each other at times and my kids may need years of therapy after being confined with me in too small of lodgings for way too long, but the memories that we created will hopefully carry them through life. For them, they got to know their dad on a personal level, as I have had the time and opportunity to share and teach them far more than most parents ever dream of doing. For me, I got to know my children for the wonderful people that they have become. Drew is deeply empathetic, loves others with his whole heart and has writing and artistic skills that are well beyond his years. Gwyn is socially brilliant, very good at engineering and logic, and is mature well past her calendar age. I won’t go into more details, as they deserve their privacy, but I can wholeheartedly assure you that they are exceptional young people who make me so very proud.

On this Father’s Day, I say thank you to my Dad who made me the man I am today. He taught me to be a renaissance man who values the truth and works to improve the world. I also say thank you to all the men who are not my father, but who are family, friends and mentors who encourage me to strive to be a better person. Finally, there are those of you who do the same thing for my children, you who are uncles, friends, and family to Gwyn and Drew, who help, teach and encourage them to be the best they can be, for I can not do it alone. Thank you to all the wonderful fathers, grandfathers, uncles and friends in our lives, you mean more than you will ever know.

With love on this day that celebrates fathers

– Pete