Belated Father’s Day Memories

How do you put into words your pride of being the father of children of whom you are proud? My kids have given me so many reasons to be proud. I enjoy just thinking of all the good memories we have made and continue making. I think of all the vacations we took to, among others, Colorado, California, New Mexico, and Oklahoma. Colorado trips included visits to Colorado Springs, Denver, and Estes Park. We always tried to visit state capitals, museums, and zoos. Colorado has some of the best. Sante Fe, Oklahoma City, Austin, and San Antonio were also great places to visit. The kids didn’t have a favorite destination, but San Antonio was near the top. My grandsons also like San Antonio. As adults they enjoy Chicago, where we have often visited. On the trips to California, we enjoyed Disneyland, Knott’s Berry Farm, and Universal Studios. We also visited the Bakersfield area and nearby National Parks. Great times. Not all memories involve travel. I have spent many hours supporting my children in all their activities. My kids were born five years apart, so we essentially repeated experiences on five-year intervals. My son was active in Little League; I coached his team for two years. Coaching was by default — my brothers who were to help had jobs changes that left me alone as coach. But we won city both years in spite of my coaching. As an aside, I remember playing softball in Roxton. We played many games in Paris. My dad played for a Paris semi-pro team. He was a lefty pitcher. Dad was paid two dollars per game, and he had to pay a man one dollar to work on his father’s farm while he was busy on the ballfield. My son also played basketball, football, and track, and he later he became a very good golfer. I announced many of his football games. As for my daughter, she played basketball, softball, and soccer and was very good at all of them. She can’t compete with her brother in golf, but she keeps trying! Being a grandfather has been an unbelievable adventure. I know I am in a very unique position. My twin grandsons were born in Plano in 2000. My wife died in early 2021. It was my 20th year in education, and I was 62 years old. Why not retire? My son was living in Lucas and my daughter in Benbrook, both in the DFW area. Teaching had become too political for me, so I picked up and moved to Allen. I lived three miles from my son. When my grandsons were seven, their mother died of cancer. I became a nanny. I was with them anytime their dad was not. I would pick them up from school. During the summer, I was there all day because my son worked. My grandsons and I did many things together. We took vacations to Colorado and New Mexico. Later my son took them to Disney World and Maryland. Both grandsons were very active in sports like soccer, t-ball, and football, but their favorite was Lacrosse, which they played for 10 years. Lacrosse took us on trips to Denver and other locations. Before I knew it, my grandsons were on their way back to Lubbock to attend Texas Tech and become Red Raiders. Now they are frat rats (PKA) living less than six blocks from where I grew up. That was hard on me, but it didn’t last long. They did their second semester online at home. They were able to spend spring break in Florida with some of their high school classmates. That have been a great joy, and the oldest — by three minutes — is named for me. What an honor! Thanks for staying with me.