April 2011 was one of those months that I can look back on and smile. It was filled with love, vindication, and fun.

The love part was when I had the opportunity to preside over the nuptials of one of my oldest friends. It was a chilly Sunday morning, Palm Sunday to be exact, when dozens of friends and family gathered to celebrate true love. I thought I would be a nervous wreck, not wanting to disappoint such an amazing friend by fumbling over the words. Instead when I saw her coming down the aisle all nervousness evaporated and I was ready to do my part to make her day special. Her husband is a lucky man. I know he knows this because I have told him as has many of his buddies. When a couple joins together for love (the gentle and kind type, not the crazy and scary version that some people try to convince us is the real thing) then nothing can go wrong. The wedding was nothing like the pomp and extravagance of Will and Kate’s. It was better… because it was theirs.

The vindication part is when I reached my one year anniversary at my current job. I left my previous job after a miserably short time under less than ideal circumstances. I began questioning if I were the person/worker that I thought I was. It’s funny how much of our identity is tied to our work and our ability to work. As I take a moment to reflect I know now that I am a great person to have on your team or to lead a team, I am just not meant to work where people don’t really want “Keith.” And I know it’s impossible to work in a place that can’t define my job but somehow know’s when it’s not being done well. I can only be me. And apparently some places can only be what they are. I am not meant to work everywhere that sounds good on paper or in a flashy presentation. My current job is a great place and I am blessed to have landed on my feet with a cohesive (if not kooky) team of professionals. It is a place that values individuality, varying skills, and quirky personalities. And I am nothing if not a personality.

The fun part was when Dev turned eight at the end of the month. He has been the thing that keeps me going when I feel like I can’t do anymore. He is my inspiration and my personal challenge. I call him a challenge because his very existence challenges me to impress him. And eight year olds are really hard to impress. Now when I write on the blog I have to make sure I get my facts straight and my spelling correct because he reads this stuff. I have to work harder and be an example to him because he is watching. There are few people I respect more than him in the sense that he sees the importance in learning and growing, he values knowledge and he tries his best to follow good advice. He’s a good friend to his classmates and a thoughtful person. Dev is what we should strive to be and he’s just getting started. I can’t wait to see what he does to change this world as I know he will!

May promises to be a heck of a month as well – just wait and see!