Dad

Sorry about that last post. I was working on doing another blog post about my childhood, when for some reason I typed in "Once upon a time..." and remembered that old story my parents used to tell us. Then I thought of that idea, and I just had to use it. Of course, I had to wait for the right time (namely, when Dania asked me to write on my blog) to publish it, which took much longer than I expected. Hence the recent drought of posts. I've been trying to get Dania to request a blog post, but she just kept on not doing it! It was frustrating.

Anyway, this past week was my father's birthday. To celebrate, my parents took a trip to San Diego (conveniently, my dad just happened to have a conference down there the same week). As a consequence, I was left in charge of my younger siblings. It gave me a chance to reflect on what my dad has done for me. As I thought about it, basically the person I am today is because of my dad. I don't want to diminish my mother's role in my life; she played a huge part. But I followed the example of my dad. He taught me what it means to be a real man. I'm not talking about the "real" men that appear at Timpview every men's week. I'm talking about a man that goes to work every day and spends time doing his job, even on the days he doesn't feel like it. I'm talking about a man who spends his free time playing with his children, even if the things his children are playing don't look particularly interesting. I loved it when my dad used to play Mario Kart 64 with us. He creamed us all, but winning was somehow less important when Dad was playing. It was not unheard of for a controller to be tossed in frustration after a consistent losing streak, except for with Dad. Winning was no longer the focus. Instead, it was about having fun, as it should have been all the time.

I can't say enough about my father. I believe it to be quite literally physically impossible. He means the world to me. People sometimes say that I'm a nice guy; the word "sweetheart" has even been used on occasion. If that's true (which is still up for debate), it's only because of the example my dad set. The little things he would do are reflected, albeit poorly, in what I try to do. Of course, he wasn't perfect, especially as a kid, but that just adds to the example. He's shown me how to repent and be a better person. He's shown me that even though someone might not be the greatest guy in the world right now, he or she can become a wonderful example.

On top of all that, my dad's a really smart guy. He's outright told me some great things. Things I needed to hear. Things I may never have thought of on my own. Things that just help make the world make a little more sense.

Truly, my father is a great guy. I'm sure many of you feel the same about your fathers. I'm glad. But I think my dad might just have them beat.

Recursive

Once upon a time, there was a girl named Dania, and she asked her friend, David, to write on a blog. This is the blog post he wrote:

Once upon a time, there was a girl named Dania, and she asked her friend, David, to write on a blog. This is the blog post he wrote:

Once upon a time, there was a girl named Dania, and she asked her friend, David, to write on a blog. This is the blog post he wrote:

Once upon a time, there was a girl named Dania, and she asked her friend, David, to write on a blog. This is the blog post he wrote:

Once upon a time, there was a girl named Dania, and she asked her friend, David, to write on a blog. This is the blog post he wrote:

Once upon a time, there was a girl named Dania, and she asked her friend, David, to write on a blog. This is the blog post he wrote:

Once upon a time, there was a girl named Dania, and she asked her friend, David, to write on a blog. This is the blog post he wrote:

Once upon a time, there was a girl named Dania, and she asked her friend, David, to write on a blog. This is the blog post he wrote:

Once upon a time, there was a girl named Dania, and she asked her friend, David, to write on a blog. This is the blog post he wrote:

Once upon a time, there was a girl named Dania, and she asked her friend, David, to write on a blog. This is the blog post he wrote:

Once upon a time, there was a girl named Dania, and she asked her friend, David, to write on a blog. This is the blog post he wrote:

Once upon a time, there was a girl named Dania, and she asked her friend, David, to write on a blog. This is the blog post he wrote:

Once upon a time, there was a girl named Dania, and she asked her friend, David, to write on a blog. This is the blog post he wrote:

Once upon a time, there was a girl named Dania, and she asked her friend, David, to write on a blog. This is the blog post he wrote:

Once upon a time, there was a girl named Dania, and she asked her friend, David, to write on a blog. This is the blog post he wrote:

Once upon a time, there was a girl named Dania, and she asked her friend, David, to write on a blog. This is the blog post he wrote:

Once upon a time, there was a girl named Dania, and she asked her friend, David, to write on a blog. This is the blog post he wrote:

Once upon a time, there was a girl named Dania, and she asked her friend, David, to write on a blog. This is the blog post he wrote:

Once upon a time, there was a girl named Dania, and she asked her friend, David, to write on a blog. This is the blog post he wrote:

Once upon a time, there was a girl named Dania, and she asked her friend, David, to write on a blog. This is the blog post he wrote:

Once upon a time, there was a girl named Dania, and she asked her friend, David, to write on a blog. This is the blog post he wrote:

Once upon a time, there was a girl named Dania, and she asked her friend, David, to write on a blog. This is the blog post he wrote:

. . .