My daughter turns 30 July 5.

Gretchen Rubin, a best-selling author is credited with the quote “Enjoy them while they are young; the days are long, but the years are short.” She knew exactly what she was talking about.

I was a hesitant father. I wasn’t sure what to expect. I guess that is so for most fathers. But when I saw her face the first minute she was alive I was hooked. And 30 years later she still has me on the line.

During her toddler years we had to be keepers of “Lala” a cotton diaper that was always in her possession. We lost it a couple of times and panic ensued. Remnants of it still exist.

I missed talking about Heffalumps and Woozles. To this day I shed a tear whenever I hear “The House At Pooh Corner” by Loggins and Messina on the radio.

Through the years I’ve watched her play soccer, softball and tennis and participate in piano recitals. But most of all she has loved riding Tennessee Walking Horses, especially her favorite Pride’s Ten High.

When her mother and I divorced I was given some of the best advice I could have received from late attorney Andy Rambo who urged me to travel with my daughter as much as possible.

Often, along with my mother, we have been from Boston to Los Angeles and many points in between. I think she would say New York City, Williamsburg, Virginia, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and Boston were four of her top spots.

I can remember our first day in New York City during the Christmas season. We had been there for a couple of hours when she loudly said, “I hate this place. There are too many people, and it smells. Tickets to see the original cast of “Wicked” and a great late night Chinese meal turned that thought into her wanting to live there.

We arrived at Williamsburg late in the evening and just glimpsed the restored area on the way to our hotel. At dinner that first night she asked, “What are we getting into?”

We have made multiple trips to Disney World in Orlando, Florida. She even worked there for a while.

We like ghost tours and Boston and Gettysburg offer interesting ones. In London we took the “Jack the Ripper” tour.

During her elementary school years, I was active in her school experiences. Due to my work in the athletics department at Lipscomb University I wasn’t around as much as I should have been when she was in high school. I was recovering in rehab from an eight-week coma when she graduated but a film crew from Lipscomb filmed the event and gave me the opportunity to talk with her.

In college I had two unique opportunities. She was a student in several of my classes and I usually ate dinner with her on a daily basis at Lipscomb.

One thread that continues for us is a mutual love of movies. We still watch films and discuss them. Admittedly, our tastes often are a little gruesome when it comes to movie choices.

It has truly been a whirlwind. There are so many memories, big and small, that pour over you when goals like a 30th birthday are reached. It hasn’t been perfect, but the Lord has blessed us with many great experiences.

Happy 30th Birthday, Sarah Margaret!