Author: Chip Bennett

While not generally a fan of “Hallmark Holidays”, I know that we rarely take the opportunities we are given every day to express our love to the people we are blessed to have in our lives. So, what better time than the present? To my father:

• To the man who taught me to throw and catch a baseball in the summers of my youth, when even my little league coaches ignored me,
• To the man who coached me in tennis in high school when I was not yet good enough to make Varsity
• To the man who taught me most of life’s most important lessons:
  • That sports are a metaphor for life: that life is not fair, that competition is healthy, that winning and losing are a part of life and how we deal with either tells a great deal about our character, that no matter how good we are at something, there will always be something better, and that truly – win or lose – what ultimately matters is how we play the game,
  • That a man’s word is his bond, and that to violate a trust will damage any relationship at it’s most fundamental level,
  • That self-esteem is derived from character, and that bullies are cowards,
  • That everyone makes mistakes, but to take responsibility for my actions and always to be honest are better than their alternatives,
  • To treat everyone as I would have them treat me, regardless of whether or not they ever do so,
  • That all men are created equally in the image of the Father,
  • That in humility I should consider others before myself, and that everyone has something to teach me,
• To the man who talked to me before I was even born, who read The Hardy Boys to me before bed every night, and introduced me to the love of reading and education,
• To the man who taught me to think for myself, to question all assumptions and to recognize all biases – mine and others’, and to stand for something lest I fall for anything,
• To the man who worked as hard as he could to provide opportunities he never had, who sacrificed and gave up things in his life in order not to set a bad example, but to set a positive example in the life of his children,
• To the man who stood up for me when no one else would,
• To the man who demonstrated that a father should not be a best friend, but a parent – and that a parent is closer, more trustworthy, reliable, and supportive, and loves more deeply than any friend could ever hope to do,

To the man who exemplified for me what it means to be a husband, a father, and a man – who continues to model these things for me,

• To the man whom I respect above anyone to give wisdom, advice, and counsel when I need them,
• And most importantly, to the man who instilled in me my faith in God the Father and in His Son, Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior; who taught me that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God – and never to accept blindly what anyone teaches on matters of faith, but to test everything against the Word – whether from a Sunday School teacher, a Pastor, or from my parents themselves; that I must always be ready to give an answer when anyone asks of the hope I have in Jesus Christ; that to be a husband and father – the spiritual head of a Godly household – is the greatest calling and achievment and God’s greatest blessing; that I am to love unconditionally as Christ loves me unconditionally;

Dad, I love you. Not a day goes by that I do not thank God for the blessing He has given me. I only hope that I can be half the husband and father that you have always been.