32 years complete and I’m
still a work in progress…
Today is the day 14-year-old Tracey Farmer gave me the gift
of life, but I don’t need fireworks or a party to celebrate my birthday; the
love from my lady, my mom, family and friends is more than enough for me. I had
so many birthday parties as a child that these days, I’m a little immune to it,
subdued by the day. It’s really a time of reflection for me, I get the
opportunity to look back over the last year and see how far I’ve come and how
far I have to go. 32 was an excellent year for me, you’ve read all about, but
this upcoming year is going to be something unlike anything many of you have
ever seen.
My birthday is the benchmark by which I measure my life, not
by what such and such or so and so have done, but what I have done since the
last time August 5th appeared on the calendar. This time last year,
I was preoccupied with my heart; in love and on the cusp of surgery, but both
events have made me a better man. I don’t lay out goals for the year, those
were set many moons ago, I just continue to work at what I feel makes me a
better man.
My birthday hasn’t been the same since 1997 and has changed
dramatically again since 2008. My grandmother passed away on September 11, 1996
and her birthday is August 3rd, so my birthday is so close to hers
that I’m still wrapped in thoughts of her as my day rolls around. Both of my
great-grandparents passed between my 29th and 30th
birthday (my grandfather only four days before my birthday), so they remain on
my mind as well, because the three of them went out of their way to ensure that
I had EVERYTHING I needed for my birthday each year. I spend the earliest part
of my day crying, remembering their love, wishing they were here to see the man
they’ve raised.
I don’t want gifts, a party, a huge fuss, I just need the
space to grow, the room to be Teef, the freedom to make my mark on the world,
that’s all I ask for each year. To this day, God has not failed me. He’s provided
me with all that I’ve asked for and more; a beautiful wife, a mother that’s
blessed me since my first steps, a wonderful family that has loved and
cultivated me, friends that have protected and encouraged me, people to walk
into my life and impart wisdom and experience and a talent to share what comes
across my mind with you and others. Each year I have another opportunity to challenge what folks think, what's accepted and help shape the worldview of a couple hundred young folks stepping into the world. I can’t ask for anything more, but another
year to do it better!
Look at Tracey’s baby boy
acting like he’s grown!
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