In Search of a Role Model?

Saturday was my dad's 70th birthday. With all the mental exertion I spent in class last week, I forgot to even buy him a card. In an effort to make it up to him, this post is dedicated to my dad.

First, for those of you who know him, you know my dad doesn't look like a 70-year-old man. I always enjoy shocking folks by revealing his age. If his hearing loss and increasingly slow driving didn't give him away, you'd never know he was older than his early 60's, tops. But good looks aside, my father has a laundry list of commendable qualities, including:

• A selfless desire to be there for his friends. Just ask them.
• Compassion for living things (with the exception of squirrels and skunks and game that he likes to eat) I will never forget the time he pulled the car off to the side of the road to pick up a turtle that sat in harm's way.
• A desire for knowledge. My father tends to feel badly about himself for his lack of a college education, but without question he is one of the smartest people I know. The engineering/architectural type things he can figure out with a paper and pencil would blow your mind. And he's not a bad writer either!
• Second to none craftsmanship. Need proof? Come see the beautiful wood work he did in my living room. He's got offers from my friends for projects that would keep him busy for years.
• A great protector. Whether it was bumps in the night at home as a kid, or in rough ocean waters with him on the boat, I have never felt more safe with anyone in my whole life.
• A great provider. How many people do you know who could put two kids through college and pay for two weddings without a penny of debt, all on a welder's salary? My dad still fights the urge to take care of my sister and me. (Dad, for the millionth time, we don't need an inheritance, we need you and mom to enjoy your retirement. Go spend your hard-earned money.)
• Unquestionable moral and ethical fiber. Whether he's returning a stranger's lost wallet or refusing to take a sick day, my dad's integrity, work ethic, and honor are second to none. Could a kid ask for a better role model?

Now, lest we proceed to have him anointed for sainthood, the reality is that my father isn't perfect. For instance, you wouldn't want to be with him when he's negotiating to buy a new car. And you probably don't want to engage him in a discussion of politics. And he can be maddeningly obsessive in his work. And sometimes he makes questionable decisions, like driving with a dead skunk tied to his truck hitch in order to dispose of it in the woods about a 1/2 mile away (should I mention it was rush hour and he passed bus stops,  traumatizing children in the process?) But all in all, my father is without question one of the people I love most in this world, and I couldn't be prouder to say he's mine.

Happy 70th birthday, dad!

Mom and Dad a couple years ago on a trip to Mexico (the last one I tagged along on...sigh)