'It was late in the afternoon, and my dad and I were stopping by our cabin quickly to pick up his sunglasses before we headed back to the slopes. I loved to ski, and the crisp sunny day couldn’t have been better for speeding down the white crystal snow. The afternoon welcomed large crowds of people to the ski resort, but I was still hopeful we could squeeze in at least three to four more runs down the mountain before the chairlifts closed for the evening.
My family was on vacation with the Reed’s, one of my dad’s good friends from childhood. Mr. Reed was very well to do, and he had four boys who were older than me, strong, and athletic. The Reed children boasted the latest ski equipment and zoomed down the mountain looking like the Olympic athletes I had seen on TV. Overall, they were a kind family, and my dad clearly had a lot of love for Mr. Reed.
When my dad and I approached the cabin, I urged him to hurry and find his sunglasses so we could dash back to the slops. Just as my dad was about to open the door and head into our warm and cozy cabin to fetch his glasses, he stopped while peering closely at the rear of one of the Reed’s vehicles. “Ut-oh” my dad said walking towards an obviously deflated back tire of the Reed’s black and silver pick-up truck. Stooping down and examining the tire my dad found the problem—a nail. Without even hesitating, he took off his gloves and ski hat and began to work. I reluctantly tried to help my dad change the tire, but really I only could muster enough effort to watch as I made it very clear that I was not happy. I knew better than to argue or complain outwardly at the time, but I was furious and could not comprehend why my dad was doing such an outrageous thing at such an inopportune time. When my dad was finally finishing, I finally blurted out the question, “Why did you have to do that?” The thoughts of Mr. Reed has four strong boys that can surely change a tire faster then we can, and Mr. Reed can easily afford to pay someone else to fix it for him swirled around in my head. But what my dad said has stuck with me to this day. He looked me square in the eye and said, “Son, I did it because it was the right thing to do.”
Since that day, I’ve tried to do things that were the right thing to do. My dad’s example has had a powerful influence on me throughout my life and has really made me who I am today. He showed me the way right way to act and he taught me what was truly important in life. I am a better person because of my dad.'*
I heard this story yesterday from an acquaintance at church. I have determined that one of the most special and most rewarding opportunities we have in this life is to be a father, and the influence and impact we have on our children is enormous and long-lasting. Yesterday, during Father’s Day, I hope we were all able to contemplate on the special privilege it is to be a dad. I also hope that those of us who are dads were able to re-commit ourselves as leaders of our family, to be even better for our children and spouse. There is no greater return on investment than the part of ourselves we give to our family. I’m thankful for the blessings of a wonderful father and for fatherhood itself.
*summary, written to the best as I could remember it.
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