Fathers Day

My dad passed away many years ago but many of the things I do are based on lessons I learned from him or from his example that still resonates with me. My dad loved three things without question.... his wife, his family and the outdoors.
My dad loved camping, fishing, hunting, being out on the Delta. He was a really good bowler and in his later years enjoyed the game of golf. I remember we would load up in our Country Squire station wagon every Friday after school with the pop-up trailer attached to the back and head up to Silver Lake every week from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day weekend. We would camp in a great campground. It wasn't uncommon to have an extra kid, a neighbor or a cousin, along. Because he ran his own business sometimes my dad would have to get up early on Saturday morning and drive a couple hours back home to take care of some emergency and then he'd drive right back. His work ethic and commitment was something I have tried to emulate in my life and teach to my own children.

I learned a lot about service from my dad. He would work all day in over 100 degree weather. We would just have sat down to dinner, the phone would ring and some senior citizen's air conditioner wouldn't be working. My dad never told them they would need to wait. He would just go out and repair the problem. You would think the overtime pay would be his incentive. But most of the time payment would be a basket of peaches, a jar of relish and once, it was a bag of Shaklee vitamins!

He also was the first person his friends and family called when they needed help. This was because he would be there, no questions asked. He loaned money, he helped clean out garages, he listened. He was a good friend to his friends.

Whatever he did he did it 100%.

He loved kids and they loved him. The neighbor kids all thought we had the coolest dad. Our house was the hang out and just about any Saturday or Sunday night you would find the house full of teenagers and young adults.

My dad loved "toys". We were the first family on the block to have a colored tv. He had a motorcycle that he would give all the kids in the neighborhood wild rides around the block and down the alley on.

I gained an appreciation of the news because of my dad's influence. He watched the entire Watergate hearings and we watched with him! I will never forget (in the age before VCRs) him using a tape recorder to record the first moon landing! He was thrilled by that. And if there was an election, we learned from his example that it was our duty to study the issues and make the best decision.

My dad's greatest legacy is his grandchildren ... especially the ones who were lucky enough to know him personally. They have wonderful stories of their own about him... the surefire way to catch a fish, the art of nicknames, what happens if you stick your tongue out. The grandchildren who came after his death are his legacy as well, because we have made sure to share the stories with them too.

Fathers Day is just one day. How I live my life on a daily basis is how I honor him.