My Dad Never Stopped Being My Hero.
He’s not dead it’s just his birthday.
I feel like growing up, every little boy at one point or another thinks of their dad as Superman. He’s super strong, he’s super smart, and he has all these special skills in things that you barely knew existed (bell choir, what the heck is that?)
It seems like any situation that he gets put in is no big deal (because it is, but you don’t know that — you’re just a dumb kid). He can pick you up and launch you super far into the pool. Every time you play Legos together, you’re always like, “Why didn’t I build my ship that way?”
He has all this lore from before you were around that makes him seem even cooler than he is now, like he jumped dirt bikes or built and drove Mustang convertibles. Or that he picked up Mom for their first date by being the guy playing the piano in the dorm lobby. For me, that just never ended. I still look at my dad and see Superman.
My dad loves Phil Collins, and there is a lyric in “Son of Man” that I think really encapsulates the way he is:
“Through faith and understanding, you will journey from boy to man.”
Faith.
Not just faith in God or faith in yourself, but faith in others. Dad sees the best in people; he is quick to trust. He believes all people have a unique perspective that needs to be heard. He is so interested in people from different walks of life and worldviews. He has faith in people’s abilities, sometimes to an extreme, near dangerous degree (like removing stitches as a 14-year-old with no prior medical training). But when someone has whole and genuine faith that you can succeed, you start to believe it a little more yourself.
He also has true and real faith in God — not the “yeah, I believe He’s real and loves me,” but the “if it’s in His will, He will provide, step out on faith” kind. He is active in his church and lets the Lord enter every room and situation before he does.
Understanding.
This is not one of Dad’s natural talents, but you won’t see that stopping him. Dad is the king of self-improvement books; he goes to leadership round tables to learn how to lead better. He has a life coach who doesn’t pull punches and makes him assess the hard truths. He strives daily to become more self-aware and well-rounded. Most men don’t ever look up from their set of circumstances or problems, but Dad does. He asks hard questions, he plays devil’s advocate, and he does his best to understand people and help them.
He is self-aware and never above asking for help or guidance, trying desperately to firm up his weaknesses and bless others with his strengths.
Energy.
He can do a better backflip than me, he runs half marathons, snowboards, surfs, barefoot waterskis (pictured above), and has not let me beat him on any mountain bike course. My dad has the most energy of anyone I know. He never stops moving. It’s honestly exhausting watching him not get exhausted. And it’s the things that he does with his energy that are actually special. Aside from working incredibly hard and providing his family with very blessed and privileged lives, he goes and helps other people. From stealing one of his employees’ daughters’ cars and personally replacing the brake pads to signing us both up to build a bunch of Ikea furniture for my college roommate while he was away on his honeymoon, he just doesn’t quit.
I have always been able to look at my dad and say, “I hope that I can be exactly like him when I’m his age.”
So, I guess this is a long way of saying I love you, Pops. Thank you for everything you do for your family, your friends, my friends, and the world around you. It’s been really nice not having to look outside my own house for a role model all these years. Happy Birthday.
