With Father's Day quickly approaching at the end of this month, the holiday has been on my mind quite a bit recently. I have a lot of regrets as I look back upon my life and realize that I didn't avail myself of numerous opportunities to connect with my own dad. I also fear that I didn't provide as much guidance and support for Randy as I could have during the time he was in my home. But I do understand that to focus upon the regrets rather than to cherish the relationships that we've had and continue to have is a sad and pointless waste of time.

Last Friday I was moved to tears while at work when I witnessed an interaction between a father and his young son. It was so meaningful to me that I literally had to step outside and reign in my emotions for a few moments. There was this little boy, a cute little red-head. He was slender and geeky looking and he was wearing glasses. His dad, on the other hand, was the polar opposite. He was tall and masculine and strong and he had a sturdy, confident-sounding voice. I might also add that he also had a smile which just might melt your heart. I think this little kid was probably about nine or ten years old, and his dad was buying him a pack of Big League bubble gum-- you know, the kind that is like all the rage at the ball parks nowadays. Well this cute kid kept trying to banter with his father, goading him into giving him some attention. "I'm taking MINE now!" he kept saying, but the dad was busy paying for the purchase and didn't seem to even hear him. Finally when he'd completed his transaction, he turned to the little boy and smiled broadly, "I'M taking MINE!" he said, and then he grabbed this kid and pulled him into himself, hugging him right there in front of me.

All right, now I'm crying AGAIN simply by remembering this. I just was so touched on many levels. First of all, it was so obvious how much this dad loved his son. Secondly it was so impressive to me that he would so openly display his love this way. Thirdly, I thought about what an amazing role model this guy was to the impressionable boy. Fourthly I felt like this kid probably was gonna be just fine, even if he was a bit of a geek. It didn't matter. He was fantastic just the way he was, and his father's love and acceptance of him proved that.

Sometimes when I start to feel a little bit sad and weighed down with a lot of regrets, I'm blessed by witnessing something like this. I know it's not really a big deal, but to me it is so significant. Dads and sons like these two demonstrate the real meaning of the word "FATHER".