For the boys.

I like easy calculations. After all, who wants complexity? Think about it: 204 divided by 19 is a pain to compute, but 200 divided by 20? That’s more my style.

 

So let’s apply some of that easy math to this story and go back an even twenty years. It’s 2002. I’m thirty-five and you guys round to ten. Back then, we had pasta night at Nonni’s, trips to Best Buy, and making fun of everyone in the family. We had nothing but good memories - or at least, more good memories than bad ones.

 

And that was my hope. To be the the hero. To spoil you. To let the boys be boys because I knew how difficult it could be having my sisters as your moms. So I just wanted to give you someone and something that you could look forward to each week.

 

As we got older, the hero changed to a mentor. My hope changed too. I wanted you to recognize your potential. That with a little hard work, you could easily build a better future. 

 

And you have. I watched you both graduate from DePaul and then start some pretty amazing careers. You found wonderful partners to share your lives with. And I got to ride shotgun as a mentor, until the day that the mentor was no longer needed.

 

And that day is today. Or should I say, I finally realized today that the mentor is no longer needed. I think you guys realized that it a while ago.

 

So it’s time for me to step back and let you shine on your own. It’s time for me to let you know how much you are loved. It’s time for me to thank you for the last twenty years. They were awesome for me, and I don’t think I could be more proud of who you’ve become and what you’ve accomplished.

 

What now? Well, the easy math is telling me to move this story forward an even twenty years. I’ll be seventy-five and you guys will round to fifty. And while I have no idea what the next twenty years will look like, my hope is that they will be filled with joy for all of us.

 

Cheers to our future together.