Dads……
Dads really are amazing and myDarlin’ Robert was one of the
best ever! Just ask anyone of us. I also think of my own Dad and Robert’s Dad
when I make that statement.
Dads are your biggest fans from Day One, holding you gently
in their strong arms, picking you up when you fall, guiding you down the right
path while giving you the freedom to walk, skip or run. Dads make incredible
sacrifices to give you what you deserve in life, and encourage you to take
risks to achieve your dreams.
Robert told so many stories of his father, and would always
say, “That’s my Dad” with such a loving tone of voice. He spoke of his Father
being a pilot for Hawaiian Air, then creating his own construction company when
he could no longer fly. He spoke of how his Dad faced opposition from his own
family when marrying a Hawaiian girl and how his love for her was more
important to him than anything in the world.
I think of my Dad, who overcame growing up in the south in
poverty and pursued an education in order to create a better life for himself.
A man who moved to Chicago, then married a fair red-headed girl and started a
family of his own. My Dad, a strong man, with a soft side for his girls worked
tirelessly at the power plants, and building up his rental property business.
All for the love of his family and in order to provide a better life for them.
And then I think of Robert and the wonderful Dad that he was
to his five beautiful children, then eventually my two guys. He worked
tirelessly as a cook in order to earn a private school education for the girls.
He worked as a coach for each of their soccer teams, and really taught the
children to learn the game and to have fun. He gave the children a sense of
confidence and unconditional love, all the while challenging them to excel in
all that they did. He taught each of our children by being a living example of
how to be a good husband, Dad and friend.
When Robert came home last year after his surgery, my Dad
came to watch over him to make sure that he was OK and didn’t fall while I went
back to work. And this year, my Dad returns to make sure that I am OK and that
I don’t fall. They say that any man can be a Father, but it takes someone
extraordinary to be a Dad. I know that by these Dads walking the walk, they
have inspired next generations of Dads in our Ohana to be the best they can
possibly be. I am so grateful and blessed to have such wonderful Dads in my
life.
#KeepLookingUp
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