Happy Father's Day

Father’s Day often comes and goes without the same applause that Mother’s Day receives. I do not know if Hallmark is to blame or the fact that fathers do not sell themselves as well as their counterparts. Either way, I am the man I am today because of the man whose name I bear.

Growing up, I had the luxury of being with my father daily. He was usually out of the house before I left for school. He elected to do this so he could be home before I returned from school. On my walk home from the bus stop, I would always see him peering through the window. For many years, I took this for granted because I could not go off and play after school. He saw my first fight from that very same window. And although I was the victor to my neighborhood friends, I became the victim as soon as I entered my house. I did not start the fight but my father made me apologize to my childhood friend. From this experience, I learned that you will go through trials and tribulations with the people closest to you. But don’t let those issues destroy meaningful relationships.

Back to the next lesson…I had to finish my schoolwork before I could go outside and play. Easy, right? Not quite. My dad would check my homework and make me rewrite everything when I made a mistake. My father did not like eraser marks. A product of parochial schooling, neatness was paramount. There are no shortcuts in life. Well, maybe there are but you know what they say about luck. If you give it your all every time, you will be ready when those opportunities present themselves. Like Jay said, "kitchen table, that’s where i honed my skills." It was at that table that I spent countless hours perfecting my penmanship, solving the same math problems three different ways, and doing whatever else was necessary to succeed in the classroom. An education is something that no one can ever take from you. Because of my father’s (and mother’s) persistence, I learned how to study like a machine. With this skill, I have been able to have some academic and professional success.

Whether he rushed from Sunday service or work, I would always see my dad in the stands. And when I didn't see him, I would always hear him yelling at the refs. Over the years, he wore many hats that included coach, fan, cheerleader, trainer, and booster. He stopped shopping at Boyd’s so we would look fly. Instead of hanging out with his friends, he would take us to Sixers, Phillies, and Eagles games. Although I can never repay him, I try to take him to games when I get the opportunity to relive those memories. Recently, I met the man who last brought a NBA championship to Philadelphia, Dr. J. And I shared that with him.

Until I left my parent's house for college, I would go to church with them on Sundays. During those services, my recently deceased pastor would talk about having faith the size of a mustard seed. From those homilies, I researched the meaning of faith according to the Bible. And it developed from God carrying out the actions that he said he would perform. In the Old Testament, people did not just blindly believe (DISCLAIMER: it's just my interpretation). Typically, my dad is a man of few words but he was never deficient when it came to actions. I never wondered if he would be there. I knew that I could rely on him whether I was soaring or falling.

I thank you dad for sacrificing trips with your friends so we could see places outside of our hometown. I thank you for saying no to your friends in favor of games of horse with me. I thank you for sharing your mishaps with me so I do not make the same mistakes. I thank you for the telling me the history of our family. I thank you for teaching me to be a man of my word. I thank you for providing us with things that you were not able to experience as a kid. I thank you for showing us how important family is. I thank you for the words of wisdom that you have given me over the years. I thank you for allowing me to create my own destiny. Most importantly, I simply thank you for being there.