Glad He's My Dad

Here is a meme passed along to me from Smokey for a salute to our fathers.

For me, my father is more than just a father, he is a mentor, a role model, and a friend. There is no question in my mind that I am the most important person in the world to him (being an only child makes this acceptable :) He has been there for every aspect of my life. He has been my personal coach in almost ever sport I have played, taking the time to pitch hundreds of baseballs, retrieve hundreds of discus, and even built a hockey rink in our back yard (although I was still responsible to shoveling all the snow and resealing the concrete every summer). He has never pushed me to do anything, but also never accepted mediocrity in anything I did and never accepted a "stupid" kid. He has always fostered my curiosity and my creativity. In his profession as a college football coach and an intellectual, he has taught me that a jock does not need to be brain dead, and a bookworm can still know how to throw a football. I think one of the greatest things he has done was when I ever asked "why", he never said, "just because I said so." I have to admit I have a little lump in my throat as I write this, think about what a wonderful father he has been. If I am half the father to my children as he has been to me, they will still be lucky.

Happy Father Day, dad, and thank you.

Ok, now to pass this on. First to MOM, since she hit me with one a couple weeks ago. Siggy, because he can't go more than two minutes without getting all contemplative anyway. And, Boomr, if you would like to do one for your dad, I'll post it for you.