The source of my stories varies from month to month, but they have always been my experiences with Layton; something he does, things I see him do, feelings I have from something he does, or because I did something stupid related to fatherhood and need to share that with the rest of you.

This month’s source and story is a bit different.  Something entirely beyond anyone’s control happens and those circumstances drive emotions and it needs to be talked about, for the good of everyone.

I need to share this story, but choosing the right words has been difficult.  I’ve rewritten this several times and come up with this; I hope you can appreciate the difficulty in sharing a story like this.

One week ago our family lost a friend.  Not someone incredibly close, but a friend none-the-less.  More devastatingly, one week ago a husband lost his wife and two little girls lost their mother.  She was 29, younger than me and many of you reading this.  In the blink of an eye, life changes forever.  Cancer sucks.  It was a brief but courageous battle, from diagnosis until now not even 6 months.  A dad and father left without his partner.  Two young girls will endure the frustration of needing their mother at times and not be able to do anything about it.  You can do the math on everything else this family will be challenged with as the days turn to years. Tears are streaming as I write this.

Why did I share this with you?  You don’t know this family.  I don’t want you to cry with me or feel bad for this family.  They are incredibly strong and have an amazing support system.  But the scary truth is this could be any of us or someone we know and love.  What I ask of you is to take a step back from everything that’s pulling you away and take a few moments to think about your family.  Give them an extra hug, play in the yard a few minutes longer, give them a call, or just sit there with them a little while longer; let them know you love them.  We are blessed with a finite amount of time with them, don’t waste that.  As a father and husband it’s a sober reminder to spend and enjoy the time I have with my wife and son.