I have held many titles over my career and personal life, but the title I cherish the most is the title, Daddy. There is something about that word spoken from the lips of your children that moves your heart. Hearing that word lets you know that all the worry and sleepless nights were worth it.

When I think of being a daddy, I think of the most precious moments of my life I have shared with my wife and my children. I believe when you get to the one-yard line of life and the memories of your life flood your mind; it will be memories of your family that will be on your mind when you draw the last breath.

The moments I have spent as a daddy when the cell phone was off, and the computer was closed and it was just me and my girls will always be moments I will carry with me for the rest of my life. The thing that most of those moments have in common is they didn’t cost a dime. It was Christmas mornings, prayers at night, wrestling in the floor, holding hands as we crossed the street, a hello kiss and hug when I got home, watching them be baptized, setting together in church, vacations, wiping their tears when the guy didn’t turn out to the one, and many other life moments.

Once the girls were older, it was having them ask me for my advice, watching them drive out of the driveway for the first time, giving the young man the “look” before he left with my baby on a date, graduations, weddings, grandchildren etc. These are the moments of life that I will cherish until the end of my life.

I was in the room when both of my daughters were born, and both times I cried like a baby. I held that sweet little bundle that was a gift from God and could only whisper a prayer of thanks to God. As a daddy, you instantly know that little baby is someone you would give your life for if needed. If you were like me, you also understood the term “unconditional love” for the very first time.

What are the moments that will flood your thoughts when you step from the here and now into the beyond? KT