The love of a parent for their child is unconditional, if it is not, it should be. Most importantly, the child should know that.

For many years, I have been training for this season. I think I officially decided to start when I was fifteen years old. As a boy living in California, born in the sixties and growing up in the seventies, not knowing what was in store for me, I started my preparations. At first, I took mental notes, watching, criticizing, evaluating, reflecting on everything I thought my father did well, pouncing on everything wrong that he did. I read a lot, everything I could, too much maybe, constantly finding articles to read at every turn, at every age. I read biographies of the famous and not so great, mysteries, horror, science-fiction, fantasy, philosophy, religion, new age, humor, history, even romance, all in preparation for this season. I listened to all types of music in my preparations for the journey ahead. I listened to Classical, Folk, Rock, Hard Rock, Soft Rock, Country, Comedy, and Jazz. I even did time as a DJ at several radio stations as part of training for battles to come. I believe that my love affairs of my youth were also part of this training. Experiencing the happiness, the sadness, the joy, the sorrow, the elations, the sorrow, and even my marriage and divorce were all part of training regimen.

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