Red Letter Day

If there's something better than the success of young folks, I don't know what it is. Wednesday night I was driving home late, following a lecture at the Miami Book Fair, and had a great catch up conversation with my nephew Henry. He started his own company, and it's going gangbusters. He's already, in less than one year, to the point that he has to hire subcontractors to help him with overflow work. And his not appearance challenged lovely young wife, Valerie, is chugging along nicely in her education pursuit -- Bachelor's expected next Spring, and then a Master's after that. It heartened me -- I just hope he makes good on his intention to come visit us soon. Maybe the bleak San Francisco Bay area winter weather will send him here for some sun and family... And then, yesterday morning, I got a call from an excited and chirpy D1. She was accepted into FIU's Dietetics Internship program. This was no small feat -- 30 in her class were vying for only 9 local spots. The rest now have to move out of state to complete their educations to become Registered Dieticians. She felt confident, but wary -- she is a favorite of her grad school faculty, and very involved in the program. But still -- you can never truly predict the actions of a huge state university -- so the fact that she can finish her program here in town is banner news. I decided to call D2, to tell her the good word. She was thrilled for her best friend and sister, and then sheepishly asked me if I'd ever heard of an organization named Phi Beta Kappa. I thought she was kidding -- who hasn't heard of the top national college honor society? She hadn't, but now she knows -- she was tapped into membership, based on her standing as a junior in the top 1% of her class! We joked about it, and made plans to go to Gainesville in early December for the induction ceremony -- I plan to carry her famous Phi Beta Kappa key around with me. And I started to cry -- a rarity for me -- the tears of an overwhelmingly thankful father. The Ds have brought us so many blessings -- but I don't recall a single day like yesterday -- with triumphs so significant coming at the same time. And then later on, as Wifey pointed out -- came the inevitable Facebook (tm) postings. Each D posted about the other's great news -- in loving and funny tones. D1 called D2 "nerdypants." So it was the best day in quite awhile. I met my friend Kenny for lunch, and gave him a check for the Wounded Warrior Project, which his boy Adam is raising funds for. Kenny is my smartest high school friend -- and neither he nor his law professor wife are Phi Beta Kappa. I thought the only one of my friends who is is Dr. Eric -- but then a "me too" email came from Dr. Barry -- complete with a photo of his diploma, which hangs in his office. "How quickly they forget" was the caption... So all is well and good with things here. It's great to be a cool, thankful Daddy in the USA...