In honor of Father’s Day yesterday I thought I would talk about some of the greatest fathers I’ve met over a life time.

There For You Dad

There is a gentleman that I met when I was working who took advantage of flexible hours to be there for his young daughters.  He was to work at 4 a.m. so that he could be home when his girls got home from school.  As I got to know him it was obvious how much he loved his girls and that they were the most important thing in his life.  Over the decade that we worked together I listened to him talk about these sweet girls and their accomplishments.  As their school hours changed and their needs changed so did his work hours.  Way to be there Dad!

Participatory Dad

There are two dads that I know who have spent hours doing things with their kids.  One is a friend I met at work and the other is my brother-in-law.  These men have made the time to coach sports teams, take their children adventuring and share their passions with their children.  My brother-in-law took his girls geode hunting one weekend and then they had so much fun discovering the beauty inside each rock.  My friend was just newly single when I met him and spent every moment he could with his small children.  They hung out, played games and as the children got older he taught them how to play sports.  These fathers were passionate about sharing what they enjoyed with their children.  Way to hang with your kids!

Teaching Dad

My grandfather was the best.  He would take us to work with him and let us work with him outside.  Somehow he made it more like a fun adventure than work.  He was an independent landscaper and very good at what he did.  We learned to plumb a grade (measure the degree of the slant), plant trees and shrubs, dig drainage channels and create pleasing outside space.  We also learned solid business and economic principles from him.

My dad was great at word games.  Every Sunday after church we would play Boggle or Scrabble.  He would come up with some of the most bizarre words that we absolutely knew were not in the dictionary.  They were.  For years we thought he had the telepathic ability to make up a word and have it appear in the dictionary.  We didn’t learn until years later that he used to read the dictionary or encyclopedia on his lunch hour.  We all have fabulous vocabularies and a great love of playing games as a family.

Outdoor Dad

Back to my grandfather and my dad.  We went camping every Summer.  Most likely because it was relatively inexpensive with nine children, but also a lot of fun.  We all learned how to build fires, chop wood, cook over a fire, name plants, identify various animal footprints and lots of other fun things.  We also learned how to keep a clean camp, always have hot water available, put up wind breaks around the fire, and set up a comfortable, homey campsite.  We learned to camp in comfort and style.

There are as many types of dads as there are dads in the world.  They spend time with their children creating memories that will last a lifetime.  They are their daughter’s first love and their son’s first hero.  Dads fix bikes, remove mud from hair, build forts and tree houses and a myriad of things.

Thanks to all the Dads.  You are greatly loved and appreciated.