Tag Archives: dad

Color Blind

5 Replies

Prejudice is a great time saver. You can form opinions without having to get the facts.

—E.B. White

Today’s story is from Pierre O’Rourke.

For years I told anyone who would listen. My father was no father at all. The drinking, the carousing. The child support checks that never came. Mom and I moved away when I was nine. I would not see him again until I was a man.

Father and son, Color Blind

The young Pierre and his father

“Maybe he did the best he could,” said my ever-forgiving mother, time and again. She and Dad kept in touch — some. She even sent him my report cards and letters. But I refused to write him a message or even acknowledge him.

But one night, one movie, one memory suddenly changed it all. I discovered that Dad was not so much a bad dad as a horribly haunted man.

Home from college, Mom and I plopped down, TV dinners in our laps. The movie: 1964’s “Black Like Me.” James Whitmore portrayed a white journalist going undercover as a black man. He traveled through the deep South. The insults. The denigration. It’s no easy film to watch—especially knowing it’s based on a true story. READ MORE 

One in Each Eye

1 Reply

If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.

—Wayne Dyer

Today’s story is from Brian Hague about his dad, Greg Hague.

Winter of ’92. I was 14. Denver bound. A father-son ski trip. Dad had a conference for his company there, too. I would finally get to see him “perform” for a big audience.

dad

Dad and me before our spaghetti dinner, 1992

The first day was incredibly fun! Bombing the slopes, racing to the bottom on every run. A battle against each other. Against ourselves. Against the mountain. We capped the day with an incredible spaghetti dinner.

The next morning — the conference was HUGE! Five hundred people looked like five thousand! I was terrified. What if he choked? Froze up?

I sat in the back corner, holding my breath as Dad took the stage. What happened next remains one of my most vivid memories, and a valuable lesson on life. No outlines. No cue cards. No charts or graphs. He spoke to that crowd like he was speaking to us at the dinner table. Totally relaxed. Poised and assertive. Funny and engaging. READ MORE 

The Battle of Troy

8 Replies

“A real father is there for any child who needs him, not just his own…”

—Unknown

Today’s story is from Reade.

Another freezing winter in small town Britton, Michigan. Another pregnant cow, ready for birth. But it was different this time. Dad yanked and tugged. He tried hard to coax her into the barn. She wouldn’t budge.

Father, Bob, and his granddaughters

Dad, Bob, and his granddaughters

He even went back out late into the night. Mom was in labor. But she wouldn’t move. Shivering, exhausted, Dad retreated for a few hours sleep, praying she would hold ‘til morning. No such luck.

He was up before daylight, but it was too late. Frozen. Shaking. Barely alive. The mother left her baby for dead. Natural instinct.

My dad’s natural instinct? He didn’t hesitate. He heaved up all 50 pounds of that slimy, wet calf. He sprinted 300 yards, straight back to the house… a dying calf would not survive in the barn. READ MORE 

Echoes Through Life, Generations

Leave a reply

“Learn from the mistakes of others — you can never live long enough to make them all yourself.”

—John Luther

Today’s story is from Grady Mosby.

A father’s mistakes can echo through generations. I would know. My Dad’s life mistakes echoed through mine. And mine, through my sons’ lives.

mistakes

Grady with his twins, 30 yrs. ago

I’m Grady Mosby. A father. A husband. My twin boys, now 32 years old, are fathers themselves. I can be proud of my life now — I’m a Christian, born-again. A family man. A businessman.

But it was a long, ugly road to get where I am. Some thought I’d never make it (including myself). Alcohol, drugs, women — You wouldn’t believe the things I’ve seen and done (I sometimes don’t believe them myself).

Where did it begin?
READ MORE 

Dig In Your Heels

2 Replies

“If you can make it growing up with me, you’ll do just fine out there in the world.”

—Gerry Benedick to his son

Today’s story is from Matt Benedick.

A blizzard had just ravaged the state. Schools closed. Perilous roads. Everything froze, all covered with ice. Dad took me out in the cold on a long trek through the woods. We were alone, isolated deep in the trees. My hands became numb. Eyes started to burn. Legs ached. Feet froze. Cheeks were red as a plum.

Dig in your heels

Matt, age 4, and Dad in Bryce Mountain, VA

Silence. Dad said not a word. Neither did I. Complain? Yes, that’s what I wanted to do. But I knew my dad. I could sense, this was no time to whimper and moan. After a while I began to slow down. Could I go on? I wasn’t sure. But Dad was — we walked on.

At the crest, the sun bathed the mountains in pink-orange bliss. Suddenly Dad stopped, standing cold still. Truly, you could hear the snow melt in the glistening mountaintop sun. That’s how quiet it was.

My name is Matt Benedick. This is a story about my dad, Gerry. READ MORE 

Son Succeeds His Own Way — My Dad Harvey Mackay

2 Replies

“A dream is just a dream. A goal is a dream with a plan and a deadline.”

—Harvey Mackay

Father’s Day exclusive ‘Son Succeeds His Own Way — My Dad Harvey Mackay’, by David Mackay

#1 New York Times Bestseller

#1 New York Times Bestseller

Harvey Mackay, #1 New York Times best selling author, including ‘Swim with the Sharks without Being Eaten Alive.’ Founder, Mackay Mitchell Envelope Company, producing over 25 million envelopes a day. A personal friend… a remarkable guy.

David Mackay, Harvey’s son. Quite a success, too. Stanford grad. Accomplished film director. His credits include the recent Hallmark Channel hit ‘Naughty Or Nice,’ and the Disney Channel premiere movie, ‘Breaking Free.’ A personal friend… a remarkable guy.

In David’s words:

“Growing up, I realized that it just wouldn’t be right to follow in my dad’s footsteps. READ MORE 

Dolly Parton – No Patience for Pretense

Leave a reply

“Always be a first rate version of yourself and not a second rate version of someone else.”

—Judy Garland

Story from Dolly Parton’s autobiography, ‘My Life and Other Unfinished Business.’

That silly preacher picked the wrong day to bother Lee Parton. His daughter remembers it well. Lee was “sweatin’ and a’groanin’ tryin’ to get a stump out of the ground.”

Dolly Parton's album, First Gathering

Parton’s first self-produced album

That snooty ol’ preacher? There he was in his starched collar, grinning at Lee over the fence. “This particular preacher wasn’t much of a help to anybody. And he seemed to show up only when he was out beatin’ the bushes for money,” Lee’s daughter, Dolly, recalls. (Yes, that Dolly Parton. This is a story from Dolly’s autobiography about her very smart dad.)

At the time, Dolly was around five, and the Partons were poor as dirt, but rich in pride. They were coming up, too. Dolly’s dad worked hard to provide. READ MORE