A Special Father’s Day Gift

This past Father’s Day was a special day for me.  I have two kids, two grandkids, and a wife that has stuck with me through thick and thin.  I got an amazing gift from each of them.  I did not get an overpriced necktie, after shave that I will never use, nor a tacky coffee mug with a label on it saying, “World’s Greatest Dad”.  What I got from each of them was their time and their love.

My daughter came by in the morning with the grandkids.  We had coffee and just talked.  It was great.  The grandkids, ages 1 and 2, dug into the toy box and before you knew it, it looked like remnants of a hurricane had swept through the basement, and that was ok too.  But what was special happened moments later.  The older grandson has been diagnosed with autism and is lacking verbal skills.  In a spontaneous moment and as a sign of love and affection, I picked him up and started tickling him.  He laughed and giggled.  When your grandson, who is lacking verbal skills, suddenly makes a joyful noise, that was special.  The tickling continued and I found several hot spots.  Not wanting to be left out of the fun, the younger one wanted to join the party.  Before we knew it, grandpa had both boys on his lap playing the tickle game.  A child’s laughter is priceless, but when you have two simultaneously, that takes it to a new level.  I don’t know who had more fun, me or the grandkids.  More tickle games are certainly in our future.

But the day was not over yet.  I love baseball and my son took me to a ball game.  It was not a major league game.  This was a game from a regional league that plays probably at the single-A level.  It was not good baseball.  There were numerous base running mistakes, fielding errors, and plays that you would see in a little league game and I did not care.  I spent a Sunday afternoon at the ballpark with my son.  To top it off, we went out for a burger and a beer and that hit the spot in so many ways.  Special moment number two.

To top the day off, my wife hit me in the sweet spot (pun intended).  I do not go after candy per se, but I do love milk chocolate.  My wife gave me an oversized box of grommet chocolates.  These are to be savored and not devoured and the challenge is on.  These chocolates should last for two months, but in all likelihood, it will be gone in three weeks and Type 2 diabetes be damned. I will try to savor the moment, but temptation will probably get the better of me.  If I leave this world from a diabetic coma, at least I will go with a smile on my face and the love of a good woman.  I will also make sure my life insurance premiums are up to date.

They say the best things in life are free.  I believe that.  I freely admit that material possessions are nice.  They have an immediate “wow” factor.  They can satisfy an immediate need, or they can tug at one’s emotions and satisfy a want and provide something that the receiver of the gift would not buy for himself.  Unfortunately, these material goods are usually temporary.    They lose their luster over time.   It will eventually wear out, break or serve no useful purpose and will eventually be discarded.  Matters of the heart, on the other hand, are cherished forever and truly make life worth living.

As you can tell, I had a good day.  If you are a dad, I hope you did too.  If you have a strained relationship, I hope you can build bridges.  It is truly worth it.  Love conquers all.

Cheers,

Al

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