Father's Day

Today I salute my Dad.

From Dad...

To Grandpa

If you don't know my Dad, I can sum it up by telling you what he did the last couple of days.  He got home from nightshift, which happened to be during a shutdown at the mill so it was a busy night at work, sat down in his chair closed his eyes for 15 minutes when he got a call from the company moving the new minister's stuff to their new home.  So he got up and helped out with that.  The next day he was up at 5am going over to a friends house to mow his lawn.  The friend had been in Cali for a while and their grass was pretty tall and their yard a half to 3/4's of an acre.  It took four passes to get it all down, but he did it and made sure it was done right.

This is just a two day summary, now expand that over the 36 years that I've been around to know him.  He is always serving somebody, not in a submissive way, but a helping way.  Always.  Some days he might grumble, but I believe that deep down in that heart of his, he wouldn't have it any other way.  He just does it too much think otherwise.  There are few men I know that even come close.

This is an example he has set for me, whether he knows it or not, in how to be a man.  Also, here are a few of his nuggets that are also burned into my brain:
"Always give 110%"
"If you borrow something from someone, always give it back in better condition than what you got it in."
"When you meet someone, always treat them with utmost respect.  You never know if that will be your next boss, or your father-in-law, or just someone you will meet again."

Those are just a few, but take a step back and look at them.  Those three things alone are a foundation a person could build anything on.

One memory that I will always treasure, and honestly it chokes me up when I talk about it, is when I was 23 or so.  I was up visiting on leave and we were tooling around in his garage talking about something, but then he looked at me and said "I not only see you as my son, but also as my peer."  That meant so much to me, I knew there where times when I made him proud and times when I disappointed, but I knew then he saw me as an equal.  I was a man in his eyes.  Someone that I ultimately looked up to saw in me enough to call me a peer.

Dad, I am honored to be your son!  You have formed a foundation at my feet that keeps me standing firm through anything.  In a time when people turn to celebrities or sports figures to be their hero, I want you to know that none of them can stand up to you in my eyes.  You are my hero.  I hope that I can apply what you've taught me when I teach my son how to be a man.  You are not only my Dad, my hero, but I count you also as a best friend.  I love and appreciate you so much.  I thank God that he chose me to be your son.

Happy Father's Day Dad!  You deserve it.