It’s Monday, and I just got back last night from a road trip to Raleigh. There’s a lot to tell, but I’m all backed up, and I hope to tell you tomorrow, but something just happened that made me tense… and then instantly made me smile and relax; and I thought you’d like to know. Maybe it can be of some use in your lives.

I have a part in Valentine’s Day, which is opening next week, but tonight is the cast and crew screening. It’s a Garry Marshall movie with a real cast of stars, and, well, I love the guy. He cast me in Pretty Woman, and he’s called for six or seven others, and I think he’s one of the funniest humans ever. Here’s why I’m bringing that up.

I’m lucky I got home yesterday, because it was snowing so hard in Raleigh. Flights were cancelled, and I ultimately had to go Raleigh to Chicago, Chicago to Dallas, Dallas back here to Burbank (a great little airport), and got home about ten thirty at night.

No big deal, no problems, I was lucky the whole way. I understand airports at this point, and they understand me. It’s a bunch of airports and flying, but no big deal. I had originally planned to take a seven in the morning flight that was cancelled because of the weather, but I wanted to get back home yesterday as early in the morning as I could, because…

It was one of my kids’ birthdays. Yesterday. Well, in all things, you do what you can, right? The flights were cancelled, I got home when I could, they were already asleep, but what’s the only important thing?

You know what. Everyone was well, I got home safely, and we all got up today just fine so Daddy could go back to yelling at them for running the water too high when they brush their teeth.

And as they know very well (because I’ve told them a hundred times), our soldiers go away from their families for years, and sometimes come home very different, and sometimes don’t come home at all, and if I go on the road here and there for a bit, it’s nothing at all to worry about.

All true, and no one is ever upset. So today, just now, in the afternoon, I opened some emails and saw one I’d FORGOTTEN…

Tonight is the cast and crew screening of Valentine’s Day. I’d love to go and see the thing, and catch up with Garry and his family, and meet some of the pretty big folks who are starring in it. It’s one scene for me, and I think it’s a funny one, I’m always thrilled they call, and hey, I love to swing the bat. And going to these openings and things is good for business, too, you know, meet some folks, show your face, have this or that producer say something nice to you (whether or not they mean it); but in show business, as in yours, it never hurts to have folks say, “Oh, there’s that guy. Hmm, maybe he’d be good in this next thing.”

HOWEVER… Because I was running through every airport in America yesterday, my wife and the kids postponed the birthday dinner till tonight. My wife’s making his favorite dinner (Chicken Cacciatore) and got his favorite dessert (Marie Callender’s apple pie), and we’re going to open the joke cards and love cards, and give him his gift (another gigantic, time-wasting video-extravaganza). Most importantly, of course, we’re all just going to be together. Then — because he asked — he and I are going to read some Green Lantern together.

And I just saw the invitation to the cast and crew screening.

Now, I won’t lie. My first thought was, “I have to go. I can’t miss it. It’s bad for business.”

But — luckily — that thought only lasted ten seconds. (That’s where the tension came in.) Then I looked up, blinked, smiled and realized what was important.

My kids wouldn’t hate me or go spiralling into therapy if I wasn’t around for the chicken and pie and gifts tonight. That’s not the point, though, is it?

It was the easiest decision I’ve ever made. I picked up the phone and called the nicest director you’d ever want to meet, and said it was one of the kids’ birthdays, and I wasn’t going to make it to the movie. And believe me, if there is one person in this whole crazy business who understands that it’s him.

No choice at all, is it? The easiest choice in the world. Not for the kids, by the way: For me. For what’s important to me and to my world.

I JUST STOPPED WRITING AND GOT UP for a few minutes, because I heard the garage door opening. My wife was bringing them home from school with the dog. (We always take him in the car to drop them off and pick them up.) And we went upstairs to open the cards and put a candle in the apple pie and sing Happy Birthday. My wife’s going to start dinner, and then we’ll have our night.

I walked over to her to tell her about the screening, and when she turned and asked what was up, I thought about it again and just said, “Oh, nothing. Just glad to be back home. Glad we’re doing this tonight.”

She didn’t have to know. That’ll just be between me and you.

I’ll tell you which Green Lantern we read.

REMEMBER: IF YOU WALKED OUT OF BED TODAY AND GOT HOME SAFELY, AND EVERYONE ELSE GOT HOME SAFELY, AND THE DOG LICKED EVERYONE? FOLKS, THEY COULD GIVE YOU A MILLION DOLLARS, BUT YOU COULDN’T BE RICHER THAN YOU ALREADY ARE.