I just wanted to take a moment to say how blessed I feel. It's Oct 3, 2010, the kids are playing out back in beautiful fall weather, just had some wonderful home-cooked corn chowder with cornbread and the Broncos won. Can't ask for much more than that. As I sit in our basement at the computer I can see up and out the windows to the leaves falling softly from the cottonwood tree in our backyard. Visions of pumpkins, Thanksgiving and Christmas are already started to dance across my mind. I really do love this time of year with the sledding, a fire burning in the fireplace, hot chocolate, snow days, and family get-togethers.
I told Katie today how much I love and appreciate her. This year has been a terrible year for deaths on Colorado's 14ers (peaks over 14,000 ft.) and I climbed 3 of the tougher ones with some work friends a few weeks back. These same peaks have seen 2 deaths this summer. One story was particularly tragic—the husband was hiking alone with his dog and killed by rock fall leaving an expecting wife at home. Truly sad. Yesterday I took my wedding ring off as I was rock climbing so it would not get scratched. My good buddy Ramsey Ross is a teacher at North Middle school here in town and needed help taking about 20 kids climbing. I forgot I had taken it off and realized it on my drive to church and started thinking how weird a feeling it was to be without my ring. Then I started thinking what kind of life I would have if I never had that ring—no wife, no kids. My life looked so different. More empty. Less life and love. This is not to slam on single people at all. Just knowing what I would be missing got me all emotional and I had to give Katie a big hug.
Just some thoughts on this lovely fall day. Hope to post another update soon.
–Matt
