It’s taken me nearly a week to write this post. The epiphany has been a lot to digest and understand God’s lesson to me. It never donned on me just how much my kids are like me or rather just how suited I am to be their dad until the other day. I know this might sound stupid, but the epiphany is too big for me to let pass.

Growing up, there were many careers I wanted to try on for size. Some fell by the wayside, others were tucked into the Maybe bin, while others landed directly in front of me. Dropping my youngest off at his first cake decorating class last Thursday, brought about the epiphany.

When I was in first grade, I wanted to become was a trapeze artist. (Insert giggles here.) I read every book about Miguel Vazquez I could find. He was my hero. Vazquez was the youngest flyer in the Barnum and Bailey Circus at the time, and he was only a few years older than I was. In the third grade, I learned I surpassed most trapeze flyers in height and therefore needed to find another passion to follow. My hopes of being a circus performer were dashed.

Years later, during a move to a new house, I found a cache of spiral notebooks in which I’d designed many trapeze flyer costumes. That got me started on fashion design. I spent my free time drawing clothes, inventing fabric patterns and testing different ways to re-design the boring clothes I wore. By middle school, I stood out from the crowd with my Z Cavaricci jeans and my three quarter sleeve jackets by Guess. I was wearing Don Johnson’s wardrobe ala Miami Vice before the show was popular!

Somewhere along the way, I fell in love with acting and Broadway musicals. In high school alone, I performed in six different plays. I was even cast in a professional production of Left Behind, right here in Hillsboro, Oregon. Although I’ve only performed in one musical – No, No, Nannette! – one of my Bucket List goals since 9th grade is to one day perform on Broadway! By the end of my Sophomore year, I wanted to become an American Novelist, publishing at least three books a year! (No one told me I couldn’t reach for the stars in my dreams!)

Amy and I spent our Honeymoon in Disneyworld. We had so much fun, and fell in love with the place, that we began making plans to retire and work in one of the Disney Parks after we raised a family.

Shortly after our wedding, Amy set out to take a cake decorating class together. We’d been catering events from intimate dinners for 6 to weddings with 1200 in attendance. We didn’t have a lot in common, except a love for the Lord and for all things Disney; I saw an opportunity to do something together, even if it wasn’t something I really wanted to do. I ended up loving it. Within two years, we were winning baking contests.

All in all, I grew up with a significant amount of creativity trying to break out of me. What did I grow up to be? An English/Language Arts teacher by day and a superhero by night – but that’s a whole different story/post for another day.

Now back to my epiphany.

My oldest has a passion for Broadway and wants to write musicals. He’s written, directed, and produced a one-act play during his Senior year in high school. He’s written many short stories, blog posts, and even a chapter in my book: Good Grief?!?

Over the last year, he’s been working on a musical with a friend or two. I told him I want a front-row seat when he debuts on Broadway and a walk-on part for the week following. He recently returned from a trip to New York City in which he had the opportunity to see Waitress, his favorite musical and the reason he’s picked up pie baking.

My middle son loves all things Disney, especially Tinkerbell and Peter Pan his mother’s and his favorite characters respectively. He also has a deep desire to do things other people would like to do; this passion offers him community with creative people. He’s dabbled at cooking, musicals, and writing because his mother, brothers, and I have all enjoyed those tasks.

Then there’s my youngest. At almost three, he crawled into my lap, arrested the remote control from my grip and changed the channel from Young Justice to Good Eats with Alton Brown.

He liked superheroes but thought that the Food Network was a better use of his time. In first grade, he asked his mother to teach him her famous chocolate chip cookie recipe. She plopped him on the island countertop, criss-cross-applesauce, and placed a giant Tupperware bowl in his lap. Then she made him swear to always “quality control” the chocolate chips and other tasty ingredients. He’s grown into quite the chef, confounding our taste-buds with his cooking and baking creations alike. The summer after Amy died, my son’s favorite math teacher left the profession choosing to be a stay at home mom to her son and newborn daughter. To show his appreciation, my youngest created a beautiful sun dress for the little girl. When his teacher opened the box, she asked him, “Where did you buy this? It’s so cute.” She was speechless when she learned that he’d made it under the direction of his godmother.

It was an amazing thing to realize my kids were growing up as extensions of me, not that I live through them vicariously, but that we can go through life together interested in and participating in activities we all like!

Then IT hit me.

Amy was very creative and loved cooking, baking, Broadway, and Disney. My kids are each an extension of her! I see her face in their faces daily. Sometimes the recognition brings a face-wide grin to part my visage, other times it brings tears. I know many kids grow up to be something their parents never saw coming or something their parents were never interested in pursuing. I find myself very blessed to look at my kids and see the extension of Amy and myself in them. All three of them will go places above and beyond our dreams. It’s my job to support them and offer help…when they ask for it.