Happy Father’s Day!
Happy Father’s Day to friends and colleagues who are dads to their own children, and to their bands. I count myself blessed to have an earthly father, two grandfathers, a Heavenly Father, and several “band-dads” who have graciously mentored me on this path over the years. I am so thankful for my own father – a veteran, a farmer, a truck driver, and a friend.
There is no more important job that any of us have than being a dad. Simply put if you aren’t ready for the single most important job you’ll ever have, don’t even think about dating. For me it has been a wonderful, exciting, non-stop ride complete with coffee mugs, stained t-shirts, messy cars, dance recitals and concerts, Legos, and beach trips. I don’t remember much about the time before I was a father to my own children, but I do remember the lessons I learned.
Cooperation and Persistence: “Buddy, it’s hard to get anything done when all your working with is junk.” It seemed like machinery breaking down on the farm was always inevitable growing up. But my dad was not to be denied getting the work done that was in front of him. Finding a way to get the machine working. Figuring out what wasn’t working, and having the ability to tear it apart and put it back together. I am more in awe of my dad’s own ability in this light more and more each day. Tearing apart a section of music to write something better is much easier to think about.
Work at something you love. Dad worked different jobs growing up – a mill job, township road man, truck driver – but he loved farming. Still loves farming. Those other things helped pay the bills for certain, but at the end of the day crops and cattle bring him a lot of satisfaction.
Be patient with life. Growing up on a farm, patience was a way of life. Crops don’t grow overnight. Cattle don’t get ready for market after three days of feeding. There have been times in my teaching career where I knew I was planting seeds that I would never get to see sprout, much less blossom and produce fruit. It didn’t mean I stopped watering and caring for it either. That I suppose becomes the legacy of all teachers: The fruit arrives only after substantial work and care.
Savor the good times: Pie may in fact be a food group. So a life in the arts reminds me of an important aspect I learned from my father. There is always work to be done, but you need to remember savor the moments when certain parts of the work are completed. And if we are going to take time to savor, I’ll take mine with a slice of cherry pie.
Happy Father’s Day friends!
