Since my son Patrick's arrival in 1990, my life and career have changed. It's amazing how swiftly your priorities shift when a child enters your life. So many of your self-interests drop away to complete insignificance.

While my life took on a new seriousness in raising my son, my career also took on fresh gravity as I looked to leave behind a legacy in which my son could not only take pride but find truth. As he looks forward to his senior year at Gulfport High, I find myself dreading the inevitable parting that looms just ahead in the distance. He plans to go to my alma mater, The University of Southern Mississippi, which makes it a little easier.

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