The second installment for “What is Your Purpose”: Family. No words can describe what your family means to you or should mean to you. If you can’t count on your family, who can you count on! I loved the line in the movie “Cheaper by the Dozen”, where the family in the movie had 12 kids. At the end one of the kids talked about another one of the kids: “There I times I want to kill her, but more important, there are more times that I would kill for her”. Now, it does not have to get to this extent, but the point of it was that we may not always get along every minute of every day, but in the long run, we would do anything for someone in our family! We have each other’s backs! We raised our kids to be active like us, and it carried on into their adult lives. We all have to put some effort into taking care of ourselves. That is also one of our purposes in life. We cannot just depend on somebody else taking care of us, or doing everything for us, if we are able to do it ourselves.
They learned right from the start that this family will be active, and we will support each other. We went biking, walking, running together. When I had some of my marathons early on, they were all there as cheerleaders. We support each other with what we do. Then as they got older, and their activities came up, we were in the stands or the sidelines cheering them on. Family support always. This is definitely one point to be grateful for, and one to be remembered for. We were a family, and I was Dad. Most men, not all, but most men can be Fathers, but we all earn the title of Dad. I want to be remembered for being the best Dad I could be. It was not always easy. Sometimes you had to put your foot down. They had to learn, and sometimes the hard way, to the point that you may not always be the most popular person. My kids may have thought, just like most kids, that we may have been tough on them at times. But it was actually tougher on Sarah and me!
Sarah and I still remain very active and will for as long as we can. We don’t just talk the talk but walk the talk! Just like the back of my shirt says on this picture: Success: A Journey–not a destination! Just like life! That is our purpose. Keep going on journeys. Keep exploring new things. Keep learning. Keep trying. Live!
We still try and get together to run races. Here we are at the annual Hump Day 5k. Our individual schedules may not always allow us to do them together as much, but we can still do them. On Thanksgiving, we have the annual turkey run here, and my daughter Molly and son-in-law did the turkey run in Marshall, MN.
One of the best titles I can claim is being a grandpa! I love spending time with Connor, who now just turned 6 months old. Molly and Tanner are sending us snapchats every day to show us what he is all doing. They are the highlights of the day! When I had my health scare almost 3 years ago, when I was 54, it was again a stark reality that we are not guaranteed tomorrow. My grandfather died at 54, and never got to see any of his grandchildren. No matter what, I got to start seeing mine, and spending time with them. I want to be remembered as being the greatest grandpa that ever was! As he grows up, he will blend right into the Reiffenberger family by walking and running races too. It is a family tradition after all! It will become second nature to him too!
.jpg)
No debate. Family is forever. Sarah and I created this family, and we are the foundation. I would be lost without her.
I want to go down as being remembered as a great husband too. Through thick and thicker! Together! Always! We have traditions to keep going, and races to run. Most important, we have memories to make. I want to stay on this ride for as long as we can. No regrets! Keep moving for your health. Keep your family moving. Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day of new streak: # 1029
