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Hey Dad,

Well, we're officially home from our travels, and it's a good thing. After being on the road for a good ten weeks, cramped in the small confines of our RV, it feels good to stretch and spread out. We were especially ready to get home after last weekend in Columbus, OH.

Prior to heading into the long weekend of speaking, sickness had entered the Wilson ranks, and I pictured the worst—kids with fevers and upset stomachs scattered throughout the RV. But somehow I didn't visualize ME in that picture.

Actually, everyone was feeling pretty good the first night (minus our three-year-old, who threw up that morning), and we had a great night in the Columbus convention center parking lot with some friends who hosted a little tailgate party featuring home-smoked pork barbeque.

But things took a turn for the worse in the pre-dawn hours of the last day.

"Someone threw up," my wife said as she poked me with her elbow. One sniff, and I knew she was right.

I didn't argue about who should take care of it. Knowing she's a "gagger" by nature and pregnant, I knew that I'm chiefly responsible for the body fluid detail. So I climbed out of bed to find one of our big kids covered in … regurgitated pork barbeque.

In the dark, hardly able to maneuver, I did the best I could to get it cleaned up, leaving some of it for the morning—and then climbed back into bed. But the stench was incredible, and I slept with the covers over my nose like a filter.

The next morning I felt a little queasy, and, by the time we finally got home that night, I was sicker than a dog and spent a good chunk of the next day in bed. I still feel a little funny, but there's a ton of stuff to do around the house—stuff to clean, put away, and organize. Plus, did I mention that everything we own is BROKEN and that my wife feels weary and overwhelmed?

It sure would be nice to run away about now, but hey, I'm 'da dad. Life is good, but most of the time it isn't very easy. Some dads opt out and take the easy road. Not you and me. We keep fixin', keep working, keep mopping up body fluids, and keep on loving our wives. We never give up—although it sure sounds easier sometimes.

I gotta go; more things to fix.

You 'da dad!

© 2007 Todd Wilson. Used by permission.

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