A "trail blazer" is a person who establishes a trail and guides the way, sharing the benefit of their experience with those to come.

Suppose you were planning to climb Mt. Everest. Would it be useful to you to attend a seminar where the speakers were people who had made the attempt? Whether they failed, are achieved the summit, wouldn't you like to have the benefit of what they learned?

Similarly, suppose you were going to hike the Appalachian Trail. Would you attempt to seek out others who had done it expecting that they would have some good advice to share?

Suppose you were planning a once in a lifetime family trip to someplace exotic, someplace you knew nothing about, but knew for sure that neither you, nor your family would ever have a chance to do again. If it was to be the culmination of a life long dream for all of you, how much research would you do?

Now bear with me just a few seconds more - if you were blessed with an opportunity to talk to 100 people who had taken their families on this exact same once in a lifetime trip, would you want to know what their suggestions would be?

Suppose every blessed one of them said the same thing, "Be sure and eat at Joes. If I had it to do over again, I would have eaten there every night." If all those people said that, you'd be sure to eat at Joe's wouldn't you?

If every single person you spoke to said, "Bring a bag of marbles - they have no marbles there and a marble is worth more than a hundred dollar bill anywhere you go." You'd bring plenty of marbles wouldn't you?

If every single person told you to be sure and bring a "fropnitz" because fropnitz are absolutely mandatory, and those who fail to bring a fropnitz rarely survive - what kind of fool would you be to leave your fropnitz at home? That all seems simple - intuitively obvious now doesn't it?

Fellow Fathers among us, here's where I'm confused.

You see, it's clear to me that you and I are on a journey, THE once in a lifetime journey with our families. We know that it's going to take our entire life to finish, so we know we don't get to come back and do it again. Fortunately, we can talk to any number of people who are finishing their trip - and they are all willing to share with us the wisdom derived of the experience.

It's Friday evening, and as I pass the ball around with the kids in the yard, I see you're not home and I'm wondering, who did you talk to who said they wished they had spent more time at work? I'm not hearing that from anyone myself.

Tomorrow, I have choice seats on the 40 yardline at the world's most exciting football game and afterwards I'll attend a very different game where the only thing I'll follow is the antics of a little blonde cheerleader. Who did you talk to that wished they had spent more time alone on their hi performance bass boat than wasting time at their children's football games?

Sunday, I'll take my kids to church, but as I pull out of my driveway, I'm going to once again be curious. Who told you they wished they'd spent more time, "under the hood."

What will you say one day when it's your turn to share? Are you going to say, "I'm glad I . . . ," or "I wish I . . .?"

Fellow Fathers, it's Friday evening - you get to choose.