Father's Day

This is a picture of my father, surrounded by his four sons and daughters.

This was a presentation I delivered at Genesis Lutheran Church in Detroit on Father's Day a few years ago.

I love basketball, as all of you know. My favorite players, in reverse order, are Isiah Thomas, Magic Johnson, and Julius "Dr.J" Erving. It's normal for a young boy to have various heroes, especially in sports, but knowing that probably doesn't help as a father watches his son openly idolize someone else. But it dawned on me that this "affection" we lavish on these heroes is one sided. You see, Isiah Thomas never once sent me a birthday card...Dad has never missed a birthday. Whenever I received some award or accolade, Magic Johnson was nowhere to be found....Dad was always there. And when I was in the hospital having a severe allergic reaction to penicillin, it wasn't Dr. J who scooped me up and ran through the hospital trying to find someone to help me...it was my father. To this day I still enjoy watching these athletes and many others as they do things in their sport that the typical person simply cannot do, but I know the difference now between appreciation and hero-worship. And I just want you to know, Dad, that you will always be my hero, even if you never dunk a basketball in your life.

(At this point, I presented my father with a hug and the traditional Father's Day present...a bottle of Old Spice.)



This way for "For Fathers"

This way for "Women"

This way for "Aliens"

This way for "Daddies"

This way for "Father's Day"

This way for "Aging"

This way for "Friends"

This way for "The World"

This way for "God's Hands"

This way for "Home"

This way for "The End"

This way for "Why?"