Today was a day that I would like to forget.  Nothing was going right. Work. Personal life. Nothing. But, 2 words made the difference in my day, “I Promise”.

Yes, there is more to this story and it is a personal story that I have and will only share with a small group of friends and that is it. So this post may not make a lot of sense to a lot of people, but to me, it made my night.

My day started off with a longer commute than usual and really, for no reason because there was no traffic on the roads that should have slowed traffic down by 45 minutes. Then, I walk into a day full of meetings, mixed with working on my budget for team and then getting a last minute project that I need 5 days and only have 3 to complete. So stress was definitely high from work.

Then my wife call and I knew immediately something was not right. She said 1 thing and my heart sank and took me back 6 years. I could not breathe, my heart was racing a second, I felt scared and uncertain about life. I just knew that in that moment, I needed to see my kids. No one was hurt. No was in danger. But in a split second, I was transported back to a Saturday morning a little over 6 years ago.

After working late, I got home and was able to play with the kids for a little bit and when it was time for bed, Baby A and I went up first. We were talking, he was playing, I was trying to find some music on my phone for bedtime, when he quietly came up, hugged me and looked me dead in the face and said “I PROMISE that I’m not going to leave you.”

It was in that moment, that I broke down. I sighed and felt like the weight of the world was lifted off my shoulders.  Again, no one is sick, hurt, etc. So for those reading this that do not know the full story, this might not make sense, but for me, the words I PROMISE were life changing.  In 2 words, a sense of faith was restored. In 2 words my wife and I made decisions for our future and our children’s future. In 2 words, I got an inner peace that I haven’t felt in a while and I felt like everything was ok.

It is truly amazing how 2 words from a soon to be 4 year old, can effect an almost 40 year old father and change their life.

Thank you son.