ONLY A DAD by Edward Albert Guest
Only a dad, but he gives his all
To smooth the way for his children small,
Doing, with courage stern and grim,
The deeds that his father did for him.
This is the line that for him I pen,
Only a dad, but the best of men.
Words and images fall short
We each have our own image, or wonderings, about our dad whether living or deceased. Other people’s words fall short, but today this line jumped out at me on behalf of my children:
Only a dad, but the best of men.
Only a dad speaks to me of the human nature of parents. We are only human with the super-human task of raising children. Of striving to be what they need more of the time than not. Of rising to the heights of their needs and also showing them we are, truly, “only” humans.
Just 11 short days until Father’s Day . . .
As Father’s Day nears, I feel increasingly helpless to know how to help my children on a holiday that feels bigger every year that passes since he’s been gone. Nothing I imagine doing feels enough.
Shall we raise up a homemade flag, placing on the highest peak in our neighborhood with bright, glowing colors, to let everyone know he was the best of men?
Shall we have a storython the whole night long, filling ourselves with caffeine to keep us buzzed and fully awake until we head to the beach with donuts and watch the sun rise?
Shall we go to his favorite pier and put fake fluorescent worms on hooks and catch fish that we give away to others, as he did?
Shall we have a gymnastic contest of standing on our hands, or a wrestling match named Legs of Steel?
What would feel like “enough”?
On this quiet morning, June gloom taking me in its embrace, it feels enough to say four little words to describe him in a way that no one in our clan would quarrel with: the best of men
What a complex description! How simple and complicated and utterly true from every angle (and we have the t-shirts to prove it!)
Love you, Dan, my forever man. Thank you for being yourself. Fully being yourself which encouraged us to be ourselves and to keep growing and changing as you did all your life.
With every child who is missing their dad, wishing for their dad, or loving their dad, we proclaim each of you Best of Dads!
