Father's Day

I have seriously lucked out in the daddy-department and ended up getting a total rockstar. Everyone has their own way of showing people they care.  For him love starts in the kitchen.... I remember making popcorn on TGIF nights.  This was before microwave popcorn, so it was a big production to haul out the popcorn maker, add the oil, stir everything, then the butter, etc.  My dad always made sure that my older brother and I had omelets on the stressful mornings before the TAAS test each year.  His morning routine included getting up early and bringing my mom a cup of coffee.  Saturdays were the best though because I got to have one too.  I would go to their room and wait as patiently as I could while my dad went in the kitchen to concoct my very own cup of of "coffee”.   To this day I have no idea what he put in that cup of chocolatey goodness.    

I think the Dad-of-the-year-award would be the time when he got up well before sunrise to go downtown and stand in line so I could apply for the math/science magnet school.  I went with my mom to bring him coffee later on.  I remember it was cold and wet and that line was not budging.  But my dad had a smile on his face and insisted he didn't mind.  I wish this is the part where I could tell you all his efforts paid off and I got into that school....Sadly, my scores were not high enough and I wasn't accepted.  Fortunately, he never stopped believing me and did everything he could to support my education.  He drove across town so I could attend a charter school, put me through college, then let me move back in for grad school.  He always said I was smart and could accomplish anything if I put my mind to it.   

My dad was the one who taught me how to shoot a basketball, drive a car, & build a model airplane.  Most importantly he taught me what it looks like to love other people the way Jesus does.   I remember how I used to wake up super-early in the mornings (I had a terribly small bladder).  Every time I’d go over to the restroom I would see a pale light down the hallway & there would be my dad sitting at his desk- hunched over his bible.  I grew up watching him serve in the church, but more than that he would serve AS the church.  He’d bring clothes to a homeless guy, give rides to an elderly lady, buy toys for poor families at Christmas, or clear branches out of someone else’s yard after the hurricane.  He played music for hospice patients, led our youth group, and ministerd to parents who had gone through miscarriages.   

I only hope that one day I will develop the same kind of spirit he has.  Here's to my dad superhero.  Happy Father's Day :-)