gaslight

My grandfather, father, and myself all bear the same name. We were all 1st born sons as well as only children. So I decided I need to carry on the tradition and pass the family name on to my son. He will be the 4th and hopefully the most bad-ass of us all. My grandfather was a WWII veteran, landed on the beach at Normandy, and was awarded the purple heart after being blasted by shrapnel from a German grenade. After returning home, he became vice president of a very large textile company and did very well for himself. He has since passed, but was the first in line, and I have to say I never met anyone I had more respect and admiration for. My father is probably the nicest, kindest and coolest person I know. He taught me how to be a good person who shows respect to everyone, the value of working hard, the meaning of unconditional love, an appreciation for the small pleasures in life, and ultimately what it means to be a man. Everything I am I owe to that man. So it is my hope that somehow, despite being the huge fuck-up that I am haha, I can pass some of what I have learned on to my son as he goes through life. I've been thinking about it a lot lately, and being a father gives me a chance to do something great with my life, to teach my child all of the things I have learned, to show him all the beauty and goodness that exists in this world if you just stop to look around, to make him understand that your value as a person is not determined by the amount of money you have, the clothes you wear, the car you drive, or the size of your home, but that the most important people in this world are those who do what is right despite what others think, and are always true to themselves and those they love. This world needs more individuals and less cattle in the herd. My hope is that one day he grows to be one of those unique individuals and can somehow make his own mark as those that came before him have.

We have four names. The 1st meaning "bright fame" the 2nd "serious; battle to the death" the 3rd "cold well" and our surname means "red haired." The first two are of German origin, the third, Old English, and the last, Irish. Idk, we come from all over I guess, kick ass in a serious, somber way I guess, but none of us seem to have red hair though.

I was playing Beatles Rock Band earlier and have this song stuck in my head now. George Harrison was amazing. It's probably why I'm in such an introspective mood.