Every post in my blog has been written by me .... until now. For this post, I am acquiescing to my youngest son. He wrote a "HERO" paper for his 8th grade English class, in which he named ME as his HERO!
Unbeknownst to me, he selected me as his hero, wrote the paper without assistance, turned it in (he got an "A"), and that was the end of the story .... until his teacher called me to read the story over the telephone. To say that I was unable to speak for a few moments would not do justice to the feelings of warmth and love that overcame me at that moment. To count the number of tissues that my family and I later used would seemingly take a few calculators!
In all of the roles that I have taken on in this life, perhaps the most important one is the role of "DAD" to my kids. I have done my best to properly raise my kids; give as much quality and quantity time that I can; take care of their needs; teach them to love the Lord and all of His ways; attend all of their events; teach them to take on larger roles with greater maturity; and a host of other activities.
I suppose that, from this point forward, irrespective of what anybody else says, I have at least one person who believes that I got it right!
What really defines a hero? Sure there are the people in our lives, like parents, who cook dinner, make beds, and hey, maybe even take you to a ball-game or two. But are those really the standards for heroism? Frankly stated, in my opinion, no it is not. A hero is one who goes beyond the average relational duties, such as someone who risks his life to save someone he doesn’t even know or one who inspires you to do great things.
My hero is my dad. This is no surprise because parents are often seen as heroic figures by their children, but it is more than just that. My father is, by all means, my biggest inspiration, as we are both percussionists. I’ve seen and listened intently as his drumsticks blow like a breeze over the drums and mallet based instruments alike. I myself cannot comprehend how he vigorously thrashes into spontaneous solos straight from his head, as I have attempted many times. I know that I may be as good as him one day, but at the moment I can only watch in awe and learn.
My dad is a hero for more than just his musical triumphs. He is also a role model; a leader. He’s shown me what to make of myself, how to live a life of happiness and how, in my later years, to be able to look back on my life and smile. He may not even realize he’s doing this! Through his subconscious teachings I gained a desire to constantly set the bar higher for myself and I have gained a greater self-perception and view of the world. What a difference one person can make.
I am not saying he is a God or holds any other ultimate title. He is just “Dad” and in being that has made me what I am today. If I didn’t have his influence in my life, I may have made some poor choices with dire consequences.
The trait that I admire most about him is that no matter how bad times are, he is still able to smile and crack a joke. I believe a happy-go-lucky attitude is the key to a successful life. Yes, I have had to come to terms with the fact that I am not the most athletic kid in the world, but that never stopped my dad from helping me practice with, of course, a strong positive attitude. He even volunteered to be my manager of my baseball team … twice!
My hero does do all the bare essentials of parenting such as transportation, care, bringing home a steady paycheck, and even cooking! But I appreciate him on a deeper level. I see him as the man I want to be.
Through being the very person he is, my hero has earned but all of the following titles: father, husband, son, coach, pal, role-model, and teacher. Above all, he is my hero, my dad!
Paul W. Reeves
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