My Dad & more
Stronger, wiser, better with every year
My Dad is celebrating his birthday this month, alongside Father’s Day. At 72, he is still pretty much just as active as ever albeit a little more slowly and with longer breaks when he finally stops to rest. He has two great passions: serving God by helping people in his second career as a minister and hunting deer.
I lucked out when Great Aunt Margaret and I stopped at CVS on the way back home from lunch at the Surf & Turf to buy her some stockings. Check out this card I’m going to give him today:
The inscription inside of the card reads,
“Stronger, wiser, better with every year . . . that’s really something to celebrate.”
This particular card was originally conceived of as a Birthday card, but the way I see things, it’s just the right sentiment for the double-duty purpose of expressing my regard for Dad on both occasions.
You will notice I am also giving him a Groupon dinner for two at the Thai House. Dad told me earlier that he had not eaten any Thai food since 1968.
Dad was stationed in Thailand during the Vietnam war. He was an F-4 jet fighter mechanic and, as a Sergeant, supervised a group of several airmen at the Udorn Air Force base in 1968.
Here is a picture of him doing his military job:
Here’s a letter my Dad wrote to my Pawpaw in August of 1968:
That November, he married my Mom and has kept the promises he made in that letter almost 50 years ago. (They will be celebrating their big anniversary in November). A year and 4 months later, he became my father.
Here we both are, performing our new jobs:
In all of those years, he has done his very best to keep those promises to my Mom, and later on to my brother and me. He would be the first to tell you that he is not perfect, but I can say that he has never failed to do his level best to, “. . . be a good provider,” nor to spare any effort to give, “. . . all the love and devotion,” within his ability.
If that’s not the very essence of, “Stronger, wiser, better with every year,” I don’t know what is.
It is a really good thing I ended up with a great Daddy. It is not like I could really claim anybody else as my father:
Dads are only human . . . and so are we sons.
All of us make mistakes, even when we mean well.
Here’s a story by Star Trek’s Commander Sulu himself, George Takei with a lesson for all of us about understanding and forgiveness, particularly when we don’t always see eye-to-eye with dad:
“Well, maybe you’re right,” are powerful words. I’m trying to teach them to a friend of mine in an effort to help her learn to get along with her own son.
I prefer the phrasing, “You know, you just might be right.” My old boss Karl Williams taught me those words about 25 years ago. They have been most helpful.
Here is the late and magnificent Gene Wilder with insights he learned from a fat doctor (who was not his dad), and the effects those words had on his relationship with his mother and on his entire acting career:
“When you please your mother [or father] by doing something it gives you confidence that you can please other people.” — Gene Wilder
Doesn't Gene’s observation get right to the heart of a successful parent?
Not everybody is as lucky as me or George or Gene . . . but every single one of us benefits when a dad or mom does a great job when their kind, confident children head out into the world.
I think Mike Myers must have had a truly magnificent set of parents.
I leave you with two favorite Austin Powers clips that always make me chuckle:
And here is everybody’s favorite evil INTJ dad with his disappointing sub-evil INTJ son:
Happy Father’s Day
Love you Dad!
e
