Mr. Smith

   Raising daughters is an adventure no man can truly appreciate until he has been strapped into the roller coaster for at least a few turns, climbs and drops. I've been on this ride long enough to forget what terra firma feels like. Living the average life while riding the fatherhood roller coaster sometimes requires that a man shed some of his personal identity in order to maintain balance, and in my case that has been a measure of memories that I yearn to recover while I can, and hold onto as I grow old.

    So it is my hope to pick up the little treasures one by one as the ride allows, and to ultimately achieve a balance that will sustain me through the continuing twists and turns that men face daily. The very thought of doing it scares me. After all, these memories were shed without pre-planning, and I'll likely recover the tastes of fear, sadness, grief and disappointment along with the courage, happiness, peace and triumph. If I can make something useful of it all, I'll be a better man for it.