Happy Birthday to the Greatest Man I Have Ever Known…My Dad – Brian’s Blog

The greatest man I have ever known is celebrating his birthday today. It is my dad's birthday. I am so fortunate to still have my parents with me and I talk with them daily. I was lucky to have the greatest teacher of life growing up. My dad is one of those people that everyone likes. I am always proud to say I am his son. There is not a person who has spent any amount of time with my dad and hasn't left in a better mood than when they first saw him.

My dad taught me love and respect for myself and towards others. He taught me to look at things through the other person's eyes before doing things. He taught me that we are all equal and no one is better than someone else. He taught me how to be a father. He taught me how to love and respect a woman and what a husband should be. He taught me how to play catch. He taught me that it is how you make the people around you feel that is the most important trait of a man. He taught me how to laugh and the importance of not taking things too seriously.

My brother and I always thought my dad was so fun to be around. We didn't care if he fell asleep in his chair and started snoring, we just wanted him in the same room with us. Sure, we would pelt him with Nerf balls while he was sleeping and he would wake up and throw it down the stairs while calling us names, but that was part of the joy. We used to love to go to church on Sunday just to mess with dad. While we would be finishing singing the hymn and about to be seated my brother would always slide the hymnal right under my dad's butt as he sat. We would get the 'evil eye' and then we would get the 'church giggles' and couldn't quit. I have so many great memories and so many more to make. I am so proud to see traits of my dad showing up in my son and my grandchildren. A couple more generations of my family are blessed to have been touched and influenced by such a wonderful man.

Happy birthday dad and thank you for being who you are and always being my biggest fan. I love you dad.