June 18, 2006 - Day 5 - Week 11 - Father’s Day

I more acutely see every day is a gift now. Thus, every Father’s Day is extra special.  Yesterday was a clear reminder of our calling as parents to leave this world a better place than when we arrived.  I have three children and as I write this they are each in different phase of life, each with a purpose, each with a mission, and each aspect affording me a smile of pride.

Laura is on her way to the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern in the fall. However, she felt she needed to stretch her legs before two more years sitting at a desk looking at a computer screen so she decided to hike around Mt. Blanc in the French Alps and then journey to Tanzania to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro.  Nice being single, unattached, athletic and not adverse to new experiences.  She has begun a log of her journey; it must run in the family, and she is experiencing some of the most beautiful places in the world.

For Jennifer, the beauty of life right now is most often seen in the faces of her two wonderful children Theo (6) and Megan (3).  Along with husband Mark, Jennifer is delighting in raising inquisitive youngsters who actually love coming to visit Popeye and KK.  We love having them and yesterday we shared Father’s Day at the beach.  Sitting in the sand making a sand castle was highlighted by a wave crashing over Popeye to the delight of the grandkids.  Aah!  The wonder of the natural world shared with people you love.

An aside:   Parenting seems more complicated today and a sense of humor and grace seem to mark the good parents.  Technology has created opportunity and distractions for kids, supermarkets offer food choices for parents, and culture seems more dangerous year after year so discernment is crucial.  As a marriage and family therapist Jennifer learned to listen.  Today she is a good listener to her children and this portends well for the future.  Being a good parent is perhaps the real definition of success.

Bradford, residing in Florida, is a single parent.  Belle is 6 years of age, and will be coming to visit for a month this summer.  Brad is the Chef de Cuisine of the hot new seafood restaurant in Deerfield Beach called Hobo’s.  Recently opened as of 8 weeks ago the business is booming.  If headed that way I might be able to put in a good word so that a table could be reserved in your name.  Brad worked with the owner to develop the menu and his culinary talents are now being recognized by a wider and wider audience. As a family we have come to understand single parenting is never easy for anyone.

Three children, three grandchildren and each finding their own way through life.  It is too early to tell the path for Belle, Theo and Megan, but it is our job as adults to fix what needs to be fixed so that their maturation is not clouded with pollution, pesticides, and poisons.

Many ask, what can I do to help Peter?  My response will contain specifics later on, but suffice it to say today, find a way to help guarantee a healthy world for the little folks just coming along in life.

Father’s Day is not about getting a tie or making sure my new pajama’s fit, but rather it is all about respecting the role of parent and making sure that role includes, at least to some degree, the component of care for the greater good.  For me that means finding ways to minimize the risk of life’s debilitating factors like discrimination, inequality, and disease; with primary focus right now on the disease called cancer.

Happy Father’s Day to each and every one of you.

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