I’m in an interesting season of life right now. Ruben, the oldest of my two children, is starting college in the fall. My daughter, Elena, is two years behind him. Somehow the empty nest that once seemed so far away is now around the corner. It has caused me no end of introspection.

One of the core values I’ve determined to live by is to protect my family at all costs. We all want that at some level, but I’ve been asking myself how well I met that expectation not so much from external challenges. I wonder if I did a good enough job at protecting my family from me…from my own flaws and shortcomings.

As I currently make the journey through a recovery program to identify emotional and spiritual issues that have the potential to undermine my shot at God’s best life for me, I’m realizing that I’ve not always hit the mark. I’ve done relational damage to those that mean the most to me and I wonder have I missed my chance to fix it? With the notion of my children moving on to chart their own course in life, leaving my wife and I at home alone with each other, can I reclaim any lost ground?

As I sat in my office one afternoon last week talking with a colleague, I had an unexpected visit. I told my wife about it yesterday and she was equally surprised (albeit pleasantly) by the event. It was my son. He was on his way to work and stopped by the office just to say hello. That singular event made my day and gave me hope that it’s not too late…in fact, it’s never too late.

We have a lifetime to reclaim lost ground and the best place to start is with those whom we love most.