I love this time of year; Fathers everywhere being appreciated by the families they love and help support. I get a big kick out of checking out Facebook and Twitter on Father’s Day afternoon to see how the masses thank their fathers for all of the many things given and sacrifices made. It’s one of the few groups left on the planet I’m proud to affiliate myself with: The League of Extraordinary Dads. As one of the many who spend a portion of Father’s Day remembering their father, I wanted to share a few insights and memories that lead me to believe that my dad was the best ever…for me, anyway.
My dad was not perfect; not even close. He made mistakes (sometimes the same one over and over), but they always bothered him, and I have no doubt he sincerely tried to limit those. While he did graduate high school, he often said that he was only promoted because none of his teachers wanted to separate him and his twin brother (another fantastic father: Uncle Wayne). In his early adulthood, Dad married Mom, held several jobs and eventually joined the Army. The Army had a huge impact on his life; many skills, traits and habits acquired during his military tenure were carried on until his untimely death in January 2005.
Those pesky Phillips Boys
(Left to right: Wade, Jim, Wayne)
So what made him stand out from a crowded field of great dads? I've never met a man who worked harder (professionally or for his neighbors), cherished family and friends more or loved to share laughter the way he did. His old-fashioned beliefs regarding religion, family and politics were passed down lovingly to his children; children who, as they grew up and saw how the world worked and behaved, appreciated such a simple and insightful foundation.
Some anecdotal evidence of his greatness:
- Devotion to neighbors: During my dad’s early adulthood, he spent time as a furnace repairman. He didn’t do this job very long, but as it turned out, he was really good at it. I can remember many bitter-cold mornings (long after he stopped working on furnaces professionally) that the phone would ring before the sun was up because a neighbor, family member or friend was without heat due to a furnace problem. Dad would always get dressed, get his tools, and head out to the rescue. I never saw him charge anyone for this. He always stopped if someone was parked on the side of the road just to make sure they didn’t need anything, and he spent tons of Saturdays providing firewood to those who couldn’t get it themselves.
- Hard work: I can’t remember too many days that Dad didn’t work at least 12 hours driving a truck. When he got home, he didn’t kick back on the couch. After a bite to eat, he was out the door to work in the garden, help his brother with something or just tinker. The man was never idle. To this day I firmly believe that his body rejected more than 4 ½ hours’ sleep.
- Laughter: I’ll never forget people telling me about Dad’s trips to receive radiation/chemo after he was diagnosed with cancer. Folks still walk up to me on occasion and share with me how he walked into a very somber waiting room full of terminal cancer patients and had the room full of laughter within minutes. He was always telling jokes (some more family-friendly than others; he was a truck driver!) and picking on people just to get a smile or laugh.
