My Dad, My Hero

In grade school, one of the most common things teachers ask you to write about is your hero. All of the boys list their favorite athlete, and all of the girls pick one of their parents, typically their father. This assignment was always a little weird to me. I never knew who to put down. I didn’t really follow sports, and I never felt like anything my parents did was exciting enough to make them a hero. I always felt bad about thinking that, but as a kid, you have these grand illusions of what a hero should be. I usually ended up going with my dad because that’s what everyone else did, and I didn’t want to be left out. The next part was even harder. The teacher always asked WHY. So, I would write down something like “because he spends time with me”. It always felt really lame, because I thought those were things that every dad did, and that they were nothing terribly special.

Wrong.

Those types of things are EXACTLY what makes him a hero. The normal everyday stuff that everyone takes for granted as a kid is actually pretty special. So I’ve decided, in honor of today, and of my dad in general, I am going to re-do this childhood assignment.

The answer is my dad, beyond a shadow of a doubt. For SO many reasons. My 5^th grade answer of “because he spends time with me” still stands, but with much more clarity and wisdom. I always knew that my dad worked, and worked hard. But what I didn’t realize until I was much older was that he and my mom made a LOT of sacrifices to give Alex and I what we had. When he wasn’t working, he was spending time with us. But it was so much more than what it seemed as a child. Time spent with him weeding the garden or picking vegetables wasn’t work. Looking back, it’s actually one of my fondest memories. He was constantly talking, teaching and I walked away with a vast knowledge of gardening. Time spent watching him take photos and listening to him talk about stuff that I didn’t (at the time) understand led to a deep love for photography, which is apparent in my everyday life. Time spent sitting next to him, watching the birds at the feeders was more than a way to pass a Sunday. He would identify every bird as it flew to the feeder and tell me about each one. Now, I can identify most birds by closing my eyes and listening to their song. Handing him nails while he built our new deck wasn’t just another task. I learned the proper way to measure and cut boards, learned about the proper supports for structures, and if I really needed to, I could probably build my own deck. All of the time I spent in the kitchen with him was more than cutting up vegetables and doing chores. Not only was I learning how to cook, but I was learning about responsibility and cleaning up after myself. The list goes on and on. Every seemingly mundane thing was actually far more significant. Every minute he spent with us was either imparting his vast knowledge or building character. Or both. At 10, I thought those most of those things seemed kind of boring. At 30, I know all of those things are pretty damned special.

First taste of watermelon 🙂

When tragedy struck a few years ago and I had no idea what to do with myself, once again, there was my dad. He opened his home to me and helped me begin to rebuild my life. It was then that all of this started to become clear to me. Al of the lessons from my childhood came crashing back through as we spent countless sleepless nights on the couch, just talking. Sharing more wisdom, and rebuilding character. He picked me up, dusted me off, and set me back on the right path. Seems so simple, right? Seems like something that any dad would do? Maybe, but to me, it made a world of difference, and I realized then that my dad was truly my hero. Who knows where I’d be today without him.

My Wedding Day

In loving memory of my dad, Gary Albright, who passed away three years ago today. I love you, and there’s not a day that goes by that I don’t miss you.

Moments like these are beyond special ❤

Never take the simple moments for granted.

Always with a camera in hand 🙂

So happy – muskie fishing 🙂