Old's not fair
Yesterday, I watched my dad play with my son. He reached out his one time strong but still capable hands to my son, and together the two of them laughed, enjoyed and rejoiced with each other. It was a wonderful family moment, but I noticed that my dad's hands were old. The skin over the bones was slack. They were old man hands. Once again, the brutal truth of being human was brought home to me. My dad is going to die. What will that be like? A world without my dad in it? I can't say, I'm scared to even imagine, but I recognize that it will be a much colder place.
There are two primary adult people in my life, my wife and my dad. My wife has taught me the fantastic experience of being totally dedicated to another person for the benefit of us both. My dad taught me honor, integrity and character. I try so hard to bring these same values to my kids. Sometimes I fail, witness Matthew's shrugging acceptance of getting straight F's in school. Sometimes I succeed, Jimmy loving me and his mom, knowing that we are the rock hard basis for his life is a case in point.
Still, there is an unshakable rock upon which I've built my life, and that rock is my dad. Sometime in the future, he is going to be gone. I don't know how I'll react when that happens. I suspect that I'll survive, I hope that I'll continue to teach the values that he taught me to my sons, and I'm afraid that I am not equal to the task. I do know that I'll be devastated.
Can I live in a world without my dad? I'll have to. My sons will have to. I do wonder about my dad's relationship with his dad. They seemed like two completely different personalities. My granddad was a gruff, practical man. He once presented a challenge to me, identifying a machine, and when I did it(and I DID DO IT), backed away from what he had promised me. It's been 20 years, and that son of a beehive still owes me 50 bucks! I'm more like my granddad than I suspect that my dad wants to admit.
It all comes down to how one lives their life. Based upon my dad's example, I try to live my life by three rules: Honor. Integrity and Character. If you have those three things, every thing else falls into place. If you lack them, then you got nothing. The current political leadership we have in Washington wants nothing to do with the three principles, and it is floundering in response. I wish Mr. Obama had my dad as his dad, the world would be a better place. You don't spend more than you make, You just don't. It would be nice if Washington remembered that,
There are two primary adult people in my life, my wife and my dad. My wife has taught me the fantastic experience of being totally dedicated to another person for the benefit of us both. My dad taught me honor, integrity and character. I try so hard to bring these same values to my kids. Sometimes I fail, witness Matthew's shrugging acceptance of getting straight F's in school. Sometimes I succeed, Jimmy loving me and his mom, knowing that we are the rock hard basis for his life is a case in point.
Still, there is an unshakable rock upon which I've built my life, and that rock is my dad. Sometime in the future, he is going to be gone. I don't know how I'll react when that happens. I suspect that I'll survive, I hope that I'll continue to teach the values that he taught me to my sons, and I'm afraid that I am not equal to the task. I do know that I'll be devastated.
Can I live in a world without my dad? I'll have to. My sons will have to. I do wonder about my dad's relationship with his dad. They seemed like two completely different personalities. My granddad was a gruff, practical man. He once presented a challenge to me, identifying a machine, and when I did it(and I DID DO IT), backed away from what he had promised me. It's been 20 years, and that son of a beehive still owes me 50 bucks! I'm more like my granddad than I suspect that my dad wants to admit.
It all comes down to how one lives their life. Based upon my dad's example, I try to live my life by three rules: Honor. Integrity and Character. If you have those three things, every thing else falls into place. If you lack them, then you got nothing. The current political leadership we have in Washington wants nothing to do with the three principles, and it is floundering in response. I wish Mr. Obama had my dad as his dad, the world would be a better place. You don't spend more than you make, You just don't. It would be nice if Washington remembered that,