Little Boy to Big Fiddler (Part 1)

I am reminded of a touching story between a dad and his youngest son, who shall be called Brady for this story. Over the next four weeks, I want to share a story of love, encouragement, and togetherness, all of which led to big things for Brady. 

The had dad tried to do everything for and with Brady since his birth, including:

Teaching him about life; spending quality and quantity time with him; working in the yard with him; helping him to make the baseball team; later managing his baseball team which gave Brady the confidence to excel as a centerfielder and hitter; teaching him the drums before finding him a better teacher; sharing his sense of humor; monitoring his friendships and behavior; and always trying to serve as his teacher, mentor, and spiritual guide through life are just a few of the ways in which the dad helped Brady get to his high school years.

As it turns out, one of the best things that the dad ever did for Brady was to help to create a home that was constantly filled with music, humor, good moods, and a sense that all was well within the home.

Brady, always the astute observer of the dad, spent years studying his dad, eventually taking on his dad’s mannerisms, speech patterns, thoughts on life, and sense of humor, while also establishing his own identity.

Brady went on to excel in many areas of life, including sports, music, and school work, making the dad proud all along the way. The dad used to perform fairly well in all of the same areas, but it was clear that Brady had far exceeded his dad’s output of years ago.

The dad’s admiration for Brady continued to grow on a daily basis throughout the years. In fact, one could easily say that a mutual admiration society had grown between the two.

Although the dad danced around the house like a fool (no real dancing talent, just a good sense of rhythm and a willingness to frolic in a seemingly foolish manner!), created silly lyrics to existing songs and even created a few new songs with silly lyrics, and acted out various theatrical parts, especially including invented parts with accents from around the world, the dad had never actually been on the theatrical stage (other than performances as Santa Claus in 2^nd grade!).

Brady, after studying his dad carefully, began to engage in the same behavior early in his life, later excelling in matching and exceeding his dad’s ability to dance life a fool, sing silly lyrics that he created, and acting out theatrical parts with various worldwide accents! The two made each other laugh for hours at a time!

Even with all of this frivolity as an everyday practice in the house, the dad never even thought about the theater for Brady, nor had Brady ever expressed an interest in a thespian adventure. However, much to his surprise, in the spring of his sophomore year, Brady announced that he would be trying out for the school play – in a thespian group that had always been noted for its excellence. Wow, this would be a daunting task just to get in the play, but Brady was confident that he could pull it off ….. and he did! He was given the part of an eccentric doctor, a character that was perfect for the years-long practiced frivolity in which Brady had engaged for most of his life – and a practice in which Brady had watched his dad engage for his entire life.

Brady pulled off the role with apparent ease, as his appearance on the stage seemed to command the limelight during his scenes. His scenes were few, but the dad was told that Brady seemed to have a knack for getting into character and holding it for entire scenes. The dad wanted to tell the director that Brady had practiced for 16 years for this role, but he managed to keep quiet!

(Please come back next week for Part 2) 

Paul W. Reeves