In the next few days, I am going to be a grandfather again.  My title is “Pop.”  Both my grandfathers were Pop and the tradition continues. My daughter Taylor has two children.  I love playing with Jaxon, my 20 month old grandson and my 5 week granddaughter, Reese is amazing and beautiful.

This new addition has a different wrinkle to it.  This will be the first time for my son.  I remember the day he and Katy told the family.  It was Mother’s Day and they gave Kristin a card with a picture of them holding a positive pregnancy test in it.  I couldn’t see the card so while she screamed and teared up, I was grabbing for the card to figure it out.  After realizing the good news, I looked at Casey to see him beaming.  Then, in a flicker of a moment, his face changed to show the magnitude of what was happening really hitting him.  It was a powerful, special moment.  Amidst all the excitement and hugs, I thought, “He gets it.”

Casey and I have enjoyed some tremendous talks through the years.  It started with the “dates” that I enjoyed with him and his sisters growing up.  Casey would talk about everything.  It was that foundation that allowed us to talk about the “hard things” as he grew older into manhood.  Before he got married, we went to six Lightning games.  Before each game, we would go to a pizza place on Harbor Island and discuss different aspects of marriage.  Even as we had a special few days before his wedding, we had our final talks and I thought, “He is ready for this.”

The days leading up to the birth of his son have been busy.  He is making sure all his responsibilities are covered.  He is finishing up things around the house to prepare for the arrival.  I have been running pretty fast too.  He stopped by my office and we chatted for a few minutes about life and how all that is going to change this week.  As he left, I hugged him, gave him our kiss on the cheek and thought…”You are going to be the best dad.”

So we wait for my son’s son.  He already is making an impact.