Day 39 of the 7-40 Challenge
Sunday, February 8, 2026
Gratitude Sunday – The Thank You Campaign
Hello and welcome to Day 39. It’s Gratitude Sunday, and another post in my Thank You Campaign.
The topic of today’s post is my son.
The Dream
When my wife and I first got married, we dreamed about our future. We talked about the size of the family we would want. We made plans and looked forward with expectancy for when our children would arrive.
When we were younger, we dreamed of having a very large family—as many as God would give us. That’s what I used to like to say.
We were married when we were 20 years old. We weren’t quite ready to start having children right after getting married, so we waited around five years before we began planning for our children to arrive.
The Threat
It was about that same time that I had my first bout with testicular cancer.
To say that this was the opposite of what we wanted is a very true statement. Because of the part of the body that cancer attacks, and because of having to have that tumor removed, we were uncertain if we would be able to have children at all.
So we went from praying and hoping for a very large family to the very real possibility of just it being a family of two—just my wife and me.
By God’s grace and through His healing, I was cancer-free by the middle of 2005, with a new lease on life and hope that we would be able to, in time, have the children we had prayed for.
The Moment
Fast forward to the fall of 2007.
I remember very clearly lying in bed and seeing the bathroom light come on. And watching my bride stand there with that little indicator in her hand.
It was finally time. It was finally real.
We were going to have a baby.
It was almost five years after we had first started praying and almost ten years after we had gotten married. But our baby was on the way. And we were so excited.
The Birth
Fast forward to the day of his birth in 2008.
After a very long labor period—two and a half days—he was born. When he was delivered, he had an Apgar score of one. They were very concerned about him.
I wasn’t in the room when he was born due to complications. I didn’t find out about the Apgar score until they handed him over to me.
But within minutes, that score had improved to an eight.
Answered prayer. Confirmed relief.
And very soon, Mama, baby, and me were in our hospital room.
The Joy
I will never forget the look of joy and absolute elation on my darling wife’s face.
She had just been through two and a half days of labor, trying to have our son naturally. She had endured a lot of physical duress. She was exhausted. She was beat up.
And you would not have been able to see any of that at that moment. She was transfixed. She was in love.
I wish I had several photographs of that little moment in time to show the picture I have burned in my memory. (Thank God, the iPhone had been invented by then—I do have one.)
She had finally become who she was meant to be in one regard. She was my wife, and now she was our son’s mother.
And the world was right.
The Reality
Fast forward all these years.
The family we thought would be very large is just the three of us. We will still take whatever God gives. But at the same time, I can’t neglect to say: our son has been one of the greatest joys in our lives.
He is so smart and so funny. He is so kind and compassionate. He’s full of character and resolve. He is a perfect blend of his mother and me—and he’s becoming so much more than we are.
It has been such a privilege and a joy to watch him do that.
We tell him from time to time how grateful we are for him. How proud we are of him.
What He Changed
This young man changed my life in so many ways.
He has been one of the catalysts that brought out my work ethic in my late twenties and early thirties.
I remember holding him for the first time, not long after he was born, knowing I would work myself to the bone to provide for our family. That I would do whatever it took to make sure they are taken care of.
I think every parent goes to that moment—where you realize that no matter what it takes, you’ll do it to provide for your family and children. That translated into me getting much more focused on the opportunities I had in front of me in my data career, which I’ve had since before he was born.
And that determination has only intensified over the years.
I now look forward to getting to support him even more as he becomes an adult, as he finds the things he is even more passionate about.
Son
If you’re reading these words, know this:
Your mother and I are so proud of you. We’re so thankful for you. We are so grateful that you are our son.
Not a day goes by that I don’t feel that gratefulness in my heart.
It is one of the greatest joys of my life to be your daddy. I am proud of you and who you are.
Day 39: Complete ✓
All seven habits executed. Gratitude Sunday honored.
Round 1 Progress: 39/40 days (97.5%)
One more day until Round 1 is complete.
See you tomorrow for Day 40.
The 740 Challenge 