Fly on the E-Commerce Cyberwall

A Different Father's Day
Nothing to say about business today. It was definitely a family day, and a great one at that. Tradition was decimated today and made for a very surprising and enjoyable day.

A typical Father's Day at our household goes something like this. A couple of weeks before, my wife Joanne asks me to write up a list of what I want. I know from experience not to put anything that costs more than $30 on it, so I usually list a few DVDs, a few CDs, maybe a couple of clothings items or a couple of books.

Then on Father's Day I open packages that come straight from the list and take the family out to a nice restaurant (at my expense).

This year, about a week ago, I said to Joanne, "I don't know what to put on a list this year. I'm so wrapped up in getting this business going that I still haven't watched the DVD's I got for Christmas, I'm usually too engrossed in work to slip a CD in the computer while I'm working, my closet is overstuffed with clothes, and I have five books on the shelf I haven't read. Plus, with income still in the 'growing but uncertain' stage, I don't think we can afford our usual nice restaurant.

Jo smiled slyly and said, "If you can't think of anything for a list, I think we can come up with something on our own."

So today they surprised me big-time. One thing I've wanted to do for several years is to replace our old, battle-weary grill, but always put other priorities ahead of it. So the kids all pooled their money and did just that for Father's Day. Plus, they put together enough to pay for a meal to our favorite pizza place and to take me to finally see the latest Star Wars.

Then it was home to try out the new grill and, later, to hear from the ones who are off on their own now. A great day overall, largely because it was truly from their hearts and not just our old, traditional approach to the day. I truly feel blessed to have the children—and the wife—God has blessed me with.
Jeff