An Ode to My Old Man

This past weekend marked a significant event in the course of history. My dad turned the big five-O (50 in layman's terms). We had a big ole party with over 60 people in attendance for this extraordinary event. There was lots of food and fun! (Of course, I am not sure if my mom and dad were able to eat anything until people left because of all the hosting they were doing).

My dad is the youngest of 8 and during each siblings 50th B-day celebration there is a book full of stories and pictures put together. It was fun to watch dad read the stories while we all each others company as the night drew to an end.

There are so many stories to tell about my dad. There is so much that I appreciated and love about him. He is my hero and my model is many ways of my life. He is the reason I learned to play guitar and write music. I remember that he would sing to me as a child because I could never sleep at night, but if Dad came in and sang his own rendition of "Sweet Baby James" by James Taylor, I slept like a rock! I wrote a song for him several years ago for Christmas. What a beautiful moment that was to perform that song for him on Christmas Day.

I remember jumping in his arms after winning a soccer game as a kid and him scold me for being too competitive when we would lose a baseball game. I remember going to REO Speedwago and STYX with him and the way he smiled during his favorite songs (which became some of my favorite songs as well) It is tough to forget the time we climbed that waterfall in Jamica and the all the Spades games we played up in Canada that summer that we went fishing with Papa and Parker. The time he helped me move to New Mexico and what a trip we had a year later to Hastings, NE. Who could forget the times we thought the Chiefs would win it all and the good times we have had going to Royals games even though we knew they never had a chance.

The movies we have seen, the times we have went to Mass together, the sports we have played and watched, the laughs we have had, the times tears filled our eyes, the people we have met and the ones we only wish we could meet. I can't thank God enough for the great dad that he has given me to be my model and my guide. As Papa and you always says, "Keep Smiling." I love you, Dad and I know you love me!