Happy Father's Day
Despite the fact that I have been a father for fitteen years, for me today is always about my Dad.
To paraphrase Toqueville, my father was a great man because he was a good man. I had the honor of delivering his euology, and I read that document again today to remind me of him. And as I did, I reflected on the good fortune I had in having him in my life, and on the lessons he worked so hard to impart to me and my siblings.
More than any individual I have ever known, my Dad personified what Winston Churchill meant when he said, "All great things are simple, and many can be expressed in single words: freedom, justice, honor, duty, mercy, hope".
He may have lived his life in a more simple time, but he founded it upon these things, and he never let life's complications change his bedrock orientation towards or beilef in such simple truths and realities.
Most people who briefly met my father rarely gave him a second thought. That's because he didn't have a notable personality. And that's because he was a lot more interested in the development of his character than he was his personality. But those who came to know him never forgot him, as I continue to learn in conversations with people who remind me of his example and his advice, though they may have been proferred many decades ago.
What America needs more than a sound financial system, more than affordable health care, and more than an immigration policy, are more Dads like the one I had.
Happy Father's Day, Dad.
This site uses Facebook comments to make it easier for you to contribute. If you see a comment you would like to flag for spam or abuse, click the "x" in the upper right of it. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use.