For many years, I had an unreasonable fear of death. What’s there to fear?  In the end, I guess it’s really about the unknown.  Which is likely why I also fear exercise.

I don’t mean to make light of death in the least.  I’ve had weeks where I have gone nearly non-stop thinking about death and afraid it’ll happen before I’m ready.   During one such episode, my wife asked me what I was so afraid of.  I responded “I guess I’m afraid of leaving you alone.  Of abandoning you.”  Her response?  “I lived just fine before you.  I’ll be just fine after you.”

My wife is direct, but accurate.  It was honestly just what I needed to hear.

We leave permanent footprints in the lives of so many – our spouses, our kids, our parents, our friends.  But we would be mistaken in thinking that we are the only ones making the path forward.  There are others like our teachers, the clerk at our grocery store, our coworkers, our ministers and even our pets.

We’re all making footprints.  And in our own lives, we likely don’t realize who’s making those footprints until we’ve gone a little further down the path.

In 2000, when I was working in my first real job at the Salvation Army in Colorado Springs, I had no idea that this single mother with two cute kids would make any more than a cameo appearance in my life.  Now, I have two great sons (and daughters-in-law), two wonderful grandkids and a 16-year long marriage. They are all leaving tremendous footprints in my life and I like to think I’m leaving the same in theirs.  Even if it is just horrible dad jokes.