Of course, Dads have their interests too, and for that we are thankful and appreciate what newness and surprises and even common sense they bring to the family.
Fathers are strange
creatures, they love their little girls, they play ball with the boys, go to
work, love their wives, and need a little time to themselves as
‘cave-dwellers.’ Such is the ideal
on Fathers Day, and we so appreciate and treat them as such special beings this
day as we should always.
By now Fathers Day has already come
and gone, but a tribute to Dads today and all those of ‘the greatest generation’ needs to be
hallmarked, to be cherished and loved. Here is our simple story on Fathers Day
weekend 2013.
Golf is a very typical, even
stereotypical past time for Dads, and actually on Fathers Day weekend we had
the good fortune of coming across tickets to the PGA US Open in Merion,
Pennsylvania! How much we saw, how
much we learned! It was really
sweet to see many Dads walking around, you could tell, truly relaxing on their
day.
Regard Grand Slam Champion Bobby Jones
of 1930, teeing off on the fairway also at Merion. My father in law was a youth at that time, and witnessed this historic event. This back view of Golfer Jones even looks like my husband's dad, who himself was a state golf champion. What a handsome guy. Greatness can be contagious. Take a good look at this photograph. Jones' form is immaculate, his perfection is conducted with ease. Such is a champion. Bobby Jones did it all, just not at the
same time. Click here for his World Golf Hall of Fame biography.
On Fathers Day 2013 we saw golfers Mickelson and
Stryker tee off at the 17th Hole, the crowd roaring from distant
stands as Mickelson made an ‘eagle,’ then the deflated collective ‘oh…’ for
another player who missed his putt.
Every now and then you get a 'moment' as I call it, a snapshot in time that will stay with you forever. Such
is the moment when we are 10 feet away from golfer Mickelson, a lefty,
orienting himself on the bluff of the fairway, analyzing his shot to make it to
the green. The setting sun is behind him, a flat backdrop for an animated
champion. Such was Saturday.
Ultimately the Englishman
Rose won the coveted title on Sunday, but Mickelson’s fans stayed true to the
end. As he was the final golfer of
the tournament, we rushed the green as so many, another snapshot in time.
I
turned to face the fast approaching crowd and my family, all scampering up the hill of the
fairway to the already crowded green.On bended knee and with extended
arms, I beckoned them all forward.
What a rush indeed! Police held back us unconventional spectators, we
did not care, we were free and on the green where greatness stepped a few
minutes before. Who needs a grandstand when you can be a part of the
experience?
But then, the
collective ‘oh…,’ which was for Mickelson’s second bogey of the day. On the screens set up near the exit
gates I could see this wonderful player was vexed, unclear as to what happened
with his golf game. Such is
sports, so difficult to measure, so difficult to fully comprehend what goes on. Mickelson comes in second, again.
So on that day we close
Fathers Day on that very note, one of challenge, of sport, of trying, as champions and as regular
folk as well. We all try, and the
value is in the attempt no matter how great or small. Keep at it!!
The most important gift from my dad to me was that he said on multiple occasions, looking me straight in the eye, “You can do anything
you set your mind to.” He gave me that
confidence, that inspiration, that knowledge that comes from Dads, that stays with me now.
My dad embraced the human spirit, the drive, the persistence,
the calm of being a complete person, a champion. For that I am eternally
grateful, thanks Dad!
You may also want to read TRIBUTE TO OUR MOTHERS ♡
You may also want to read TRIBUTE TO OUR MOTHERS ♡
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