One More Trip Like This

My wife had a work trip to New York City, so two of my sons, ages 17 and 14, and I decided to tag along. I figured we'd have a great time exploring the city together. What I didn't expect was how emotional those few days would become for me.

My 17-year-old graduates from high school in May 2027. Watching him navigate the subway, read the signs, and move confidently through a city so different from Colorado, I kept wondering where the years had gone. I was incredibly proud of him. But part of me wanted to stop time.

We made some wonderful memories. We visited the New York Public Library, said a prayer at St. Patrick's Cathedral, and walked through Central Park. My 14-year-old was thrilled to get his Liberty Bagel. And at Steinway, my 17-year-old was invited to sit down and play a grand piano. Watching him play so confidently was a moment I'll never forget.

But somewhere along the way, something hit me. I realized how few trips like this we might have left before life starts pulling us in different directions. College, careers, relationships, responsibilities. All the wonderful things I want for my boys, but things that will change the way we spend time together.

Standing with them at the 9/11 Memorial made me think even more about how precious our time really is. Tomorrow isn't promised to any of us. And sometimes the moments we wish we could have back are the ones we didn't realize were so special while we were living them.

I love my sons more than I can put into words. I'm so proud of who they're becoming. And while I know my job is to help them build lives of their own, that doesn't make watching them grow up any easier.

That's where this song came from.

And there's a part near the end that means everything to me.

I imagine ten years from now, my phone ringing. It's my son, asking if I'd like to come to New York with him because he's speaking at a conference.

I wouldn't hesitate. I'd drop everything.

Not because I need another trip to New York.

But because I'd give just about anything for one more chance to walk beside my boys, share a few laughs, make another memory, and simply be their dad.

Just one more trip like this.