Belated Father's Day Message
Warning – This post has absolutely nothing to do with triathlon training.
A friend of mine recently lost his father to cancer. That event and the long, lonely car ride to Lake Placid had me reflecting on my own experiences – both as a father and the fond memories of my own dad.
I had a pretty unusual father-son relationship compared to my peers. My dad was a product of the Great Depression and a veteran of World War II. He went to college on the G.I. Bill. He retired when I was in junior high school, so we had tons of time to spend together. We played catch, went hunting and spent a lot of time on the golf course (the “hunting” expeditions were more like hiking trips with guns and ammo). He hardly ever missed one of my baseball games... and there were a lot of them! Words that describe my dad – humble, resourceful, loyal, compassionate. He was a “people person.” I keep a photo of him with his B-29 crew on my desk at work. It reminds me of another word – Sacrifice.
I can’t imagine how different my life would be right now had I not had such stability growing up. The children served by the Bridge of Hope aren't so lucky. Most don’t have a guiding father figure in their lives. Just as I did nothing to deserve the good fortune of my family situation, the Bridge of Hope kids have done nothing to deserve their emotional and social uphill struggle.
A friend of mine recently lost his father to cancer. That event and the long, lonely car ride to Lake Placid had me reflecting on my own experiences – both as a father and the fond memories of my own dad.
I had a pretty unusual father-son relationship compared to my peers. My dad was a product of the Great Depression and a veteran of World War II. He went to college on the G.I. Bill. He retired when I was in junior high school, so we had tons of time to spend together. We played catch, went hunting and spent a lot of time on the golf course (the “hunting” expeditions were more like hiking trips with guns and ammo). He hardly ever missed one of my baseball games... and there were a lot of them! Words that describe my dad – humble, resourceful, loyal, compassionate. He was a “people person.” I keep a photo of him with his B-29 crew on my desk at work. It reminds me of another word – Sacrifice.
I can’t imagine how different my life would be right now had I not had such stability growing up. The children served by the Bridge of Hope aren't so lucky. Most don’t have a guiding father figure in their lives. Just as I did nothing to deserve the good fortune of my family situation, the Bridge of Hope kids have done nothing to deserve their emotional and social uphill struggle.
I gave another gift to Bridge of Hope today – this time in thankfulness for my father.
posted by dan kerr at 12:42 PM
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