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What does it mean to be a father? Well I have been thinking about it this week.

And my week was amazing.

I arrived in Ottawa, which is the capital of Canada, and spent time with one of my dearest friends for two days.

We spent those two days on the range going over some drills and skills on our carbine rifles and pistols.

I really enjoyed the days because I hadn’t been on the guns in a meaningful way since May of 2015.

Plus I picked up my 2 new carbines which are NEA15 – 7.5 PDW and NEA15 – 12.5.

Then I was also able to get my hands on a Glock Gen 4 Model 17 – 9mm Pistol.

So this was sort of like Christmas for me.  New toys and a place to use them.

My buddy Adam ran me through the most up to date carbine training with all of the skills that are battle tested by Delta, Rangers, Seals and JTF2 not to mention all of the current Close Protection teams.

From there we travelled to Barrie and put on a 1 Day Tactical Experience shooting day for a group of my business partners.

It was amazing to watch these guys progress from zero to shooting on the move.

We were able to relate the skills necessary to be a good shooter to those necessary to be a good business person.

Lessons such as building the proper foundation, following systems, applying principles consistently and managing stress.

It was an incredibly adrenalin filled day with a ton of excitement and I was grateful to be able to provide guys with a very unique experience.

Now as you read this, yesterday would have been father’s day.

Although I won’t be home for it, I wanted to let you know I have been thinking alot about what it means to be a father or grandfather for that matter.

Even though my own kids are grown for the most part…just one daughter left at home… I am fortunate to hang with my two young nephews this weekend.

I’m taking them to Jack Astor’s for supper and then we are going to have a movie night while my brother takes my sister-in-law out for dinner.

To be completely honest I believe fatherhood it is an ongoing learning process.

We have certain values we wish to instill and ultimately we hope our kids will be contributing members of society.

That they will live with honour and give respect where earned.

We hope they will have the confidence to do the things they dream of doing.

You see, a father is respected because he gives his children leadership… the skills and confidence to make decisions, be accountable, open minded and honest.

A father is appreciated because he gives his children care… in good times and bad.

No judgement. Just unfettered love.

A father is Valued because he gives his children time…not distracted by social media and other garbage that is sucking the soul out of our connections to those who mean the most to us…and by the way… the only ones who will have our back.

A father is loved because he gives his children the one thing kids treasure most – himself.

I can only trust that my kids know all of these things, that I love them dearly … and that I will continue to do whatever it takes to fulfill my role as their father.

Stand Apart

Todd