Who said you have to die to go to heaven?  This weekend proved to me that heaven can be experienced right here and right now.  The last 2 days were as filled with joy, happiness and peace as one could ever want.  It can’t get any better than my weekend (Father’s Day weekend 2011)

It started out with the wedding of my son Benjamin to Lindsay Cross.  First let me tell you a little about these two amazing young people.  They are the hope in this world.  They are what God had in mind when he created man and woman.  They are the definition of pride for a parent.  T

Ben and Lindsay are the ultimate example of “good kids”.  They are loving, caring, responsible, and kind.  They are well adjusted and stable.  They work hard; have wonderful goals for their lives and possess the determination to carry it out.  In many ways they are perfect.  Lindsay is the ultimate daughter in law and from what I am told by her family; Ben is the perfect son in law.  The Cross and Olock families are blessed by their lives and we can rightfully be proud.

Their wedding day was superb.  They exchanged Holy Spirit guided vows and both cherished every second of the day.  My son was so proud to take Lindsay as his wife.  Lindsay was so honored to become the wife of Ben.  For a Dad, the day before Father’s day; “it doesn’t get any better than this”!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Then, as I was totally overwhelmed with happiness and pride, Ben’s mother received a phone call, Father’s Day, that our daughter was in the hospital with contractions and was ready to give birth to our first grandbaby, Tatiana Marie.  At 1:32pm, a new guardian angel went on duty to care for this 8 lb 13 oz., 20” bundle of joy.

Now let me tell you a little about this amazing new mother, Kate.  She is everything a father could want in a daughter.  She has a wonderful loving heart.  She is tough but quite wonderfully gentle.  She is confident yet reserved and humble.  She is focused yet flexible.  She understands the true meaning of “friendship” and knows how to give as well as receive the love of those in her life.  She will be an amazing mother to Tatiana and those that will follow and will be a great partner (and hopefully, one day, wife) to Michael.  She was a trooper yesterday in labor and was a proud, yet exhausted mother yesterday afternoon when I saw her for the first time since the delivery.

Last night as I smoked my celebratory cigar while reflecting on my son and daughters gifts to me this Father day; I realized that life is about what had happened within that 24 hour period between 2pm Saturday as Ben and Lindsay entered into the sacrament of Matrimony and Tatiana’s arrival at 1:32 – It makes the challenges of life all worth it.  It erases much of any heartache and pain and it is a chance for renewal.

Thank you Lord for a wonderful life.  Thank you for my amazing children.  Thank you for another generation of Olock’s (& Urso’s).  Thank you for my gift of salvation and all that comes with my faith.  You showed me this weekend about the prize for trying to be the best version of myself.  If I die the second after I click the submit for this blog, I will die a man as happy and at peace as one could be.

Thanks also to Ben, Lindsay, Kate & Michael.  Thanks to Mona, Mona, Mike, Jack, & Sandy.

THIS IS REALLY COOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Me, a Pop Pop and Father in Law