a fathers day tribute

Funerals are incredible reminders of our mortality. We should all go once a year. This spring a client who has become a dear friend lost his father suddenly.  I flew out to California to attend the funeral, of course thinking I was there to simply show him my compassion and support.  It was an intimate Jewish service and as soon as it began I knew God had brought me there for more than just the comfort of my friend.

One of the sons shared along with two sisters and a Rabbi who was close to the family.  It wasn't that what they said impacted as much as them just saying it.  It made me think about my own Dad and the legacy he's created.  And I thought, why would I wait until he was gone to say out loud to everyone I could the kind of man he is and how his love shaped me?  Why would any of us wait one more day to finally say out loud in front of others what has been glorious about a life and how it has transformed our own?

So, today, in as public a way that I can, I want to honor my dad and I hope you will take a moment to appreciate publicly a life that has changed you.

Dad, you should know that every day of my life I have felt immensely loved, protected and cherished by you.  Every day provides me a clear picture of the greatest lesson you could have ever hoped to teach me, unconditional love.

Your belief in me propelled me past the limits of my own mind and body.  Your "yes you can" chorus is a soundtrack I play in my life and the life of my children every day.  Because of you, I am a better leader.  Because of you, I am harder worker.   Because of you, I am both strong and gentle. 

But your legacy does not end with me.  Because of you, my husband feels fathered.  And Alisha too.  And Michael.  And Kaira.  And Kelly.  And Kristen. You are the one we are all looking for, front row, center, when the game is one the line.  The stakes are higher now and the uniforms have changed too, but we know our coach is right there cheering for us, "you can do it!" We leap further, live louder and love more passionately because of you.

Thank you for seeing my heart and taking such good care of it.  Thank you for developing a family focused on others; for showing us how to hold loosely what God has given us and pour out generously with our time and our things. 

I love your tenacity, your total disrespect for the status quo, the way you throw off tradition and pursue your passions, your risk-taking and fun-loving nature, and your willingness to go see a movie at the drop of a dime, even at midnight.

To honor our love for movies, I want to end with a quote I have shared with you before from one of our favorites, Meet Joe Black.  In this year as you celebrate 40 years of marriage and 60 years of life, I hope this is exactly how you are feeling.

"I thought I was going to sneak away tonight. What a glorious night! Every face I see is a memory. It may not be a perfectly... perfect memory. Sometimes we've had our ups and downs, but we're all together, and you're mine, for a night. And I'm going to break precedence and tell you my one candle wish: that you would have a life, as lucky as mine where you can wake up one morning and say, 'I don't want anything more.' 65 years, don't they go by in a blink?"

I love you dad.  Happy Father's Day.

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