Do you have any childhood memories of waking up in the morning with the smell of pancakes wafting through your home?  I grew up with an amazing father, Major General Roger E Combs, who can still picture today in his hunter green sweatsuit as he made pancakes on the weekends and read to my brother Matt and me from the "funnies" section of the paper.  It was extra special on the weekends because they printed it in color where I grew up in the Northwest corner Missouri.   

Those days are long gone, but my father shared so much wisdom with me as I was growing up. One that has stuck with me is, "When someone gives you a piece of advice that impacts you, it's your responsibility to share it with others." So that's what I will be doing with this new column "The Syrup."  

The idea of syrup can conjure up different thoughts and memories; it might be your favorite part of eating pancakes, or it might just be the sweetness your life needs.  For me, it's a reminder of the nuggets of wisdom my father left during my lifetime before he passed away from Agent Orange related throat cancer in 2018 after serving our country for over 39 years in 3 branches of our armed services. It also brings to mind how my career path allowed me to be present as a caregiver as his clock was winding down.