Over a decade ago, my illustrator friend Rex Bohn created this image for one of my “BOOKS FOR DADS.”
Of course, I still love to cheer on all men who are heroes to their families. But let’s be honest. The call to be a champion and protector is bigger than that. It’s an invitation for all of us to step up, live with courage, and leave a legacy of love.
Following are just a few examples–pulled from my books–that happen to be for fathers:
* The baby spikes a fever and can’t go to the sitter. With no second thoughts, you cancel a couple appointments and take care of your little one.
* Your young teenage daughter unexpectedly needs a feminine hygiene product. Without asking questions, you make the dash to Walgreen’s and never mention it again.
* Twenty minutes before the game begins, your son realizes he forgot the belt to his baseball pants. You race home and race back to the diamond. Only to discover he borrowed a belt from a teammate. It’s okay, Dad.
* Your high school senior realizes the college application was supposed to be received at the school by October 15. Not postmarked by October 15. While she scrambles to assemble the paperwork, you locate the nearest FedEx dropbox with the extra late pickup.
* On a first date, your son texts from the restaurant that he’s short of cash. Secretly, you meet him at the hostess desk with a couple twenties. (He’ll pay you back later.)
* You’re expecting a quiet Friday evening at home with the missus. Your daughter texts that the football game is rained out and she’s bringing home some soggy friends. Somehow you also spring for four extra large pizzas.
* Your daughter and son-in-law post that their new home apparently is on a flood plain. Twenty minutes later, you show up at their door with a portable water pump, two dehumidifiers, and a mop.
Call it “the duty of the moment.” Call it “the perils and joys of fatherhood.”
Really, it’s all good news. It’s good to be the hero. It’s even better to be the quiet, unassuming hero.
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