Life

For those of you who dont know, we recently invited in a new addition. His name is Kerean Gerald Vogt. He is the second son in this house and the spirit of welcome could not be greater. His older brother is happy to bring him and his mother and father are over the moon. A proper introduction of this little Vogt will be made shortly, but this blog is about something slightly different.

Today marks the 17th anniversary of my fathers passing. As I recollect today my wife asked me how I had felt about the day and truly I had no answer. This is my explanation. Life. My father passed away in the Health Science Center during an open heart surgery. On July 5, another Gerald Vogt came into this world at the same hospital. I gave him that name that my fathers memory might endure. I gave him that name so in some sense my Dad would have life again. As I observe the passing of this anniversary I notice the effect that this action has had on me in my deepest part. The wounds, old as they are, seem gone. Like someone receiving a skin graft, the old scares are covered by something new. My father was a good man and I am blessed to have the memory of a fine, well respected gentleman who taught me how to love my sons with the deepest, most sincere heart I could imagine coming from a man. Just as his death had a ripple effect in me, should not Kerean's birth reverberate as much if not more. I give thanks to God for this life and I am excited to explore a world where I can live liberated from an old wound. Full of life, hope, and the fondest recollection of a father that I proudly call my own and whose children and grandchildren will remember him.