Today I’m grateful for my oldest son,  Jonathan,  who turns 20 today.

He’s everything that a Dad could ask for in a son.

He’s clever, funny, a clear, logical thinker and has an almost insatiable appetite for knowledge (and for food since he started college).

All of his life he’s worked to be the very best at whatever he does and throws himself 100% behind any project he tackles.

He is currently a Sophomore (with Jr. credit hours) at the University of Texas at Austin. He’s taking 18 hours of classes and is really challenging himself, not just taking “easy A” classes. He approaches his life with the maturity of someone twice his age, and better so than many of the 40-year-olds that I know.

For fun he goes on very long bike rides with a group of others, he has competed in the Handball National Championships, he started a club about Finance at the University of Texas, he’s an expert kite flyer and spends much of his time researching stocks and participating in finance-related projects. He comes out to our place fairly regularly – and he doesn’t even bring his laundry to be done – he just comes to visit.

He makes us proud each and every day of his life. I’m proud to be his Dad, I’m glad to be his friend and I hope that when he has kids they are as much of a joy to have in his life as he has been to be in mine.

As a parent, you have to like your kids, or at least your supposed to like and more importantly, love them. I’d like Jonathan even if he wasn’t mine.

Jonathan – today is all about YOU. I love you very, very much.