Written by Rick about his dad:
Many young people have heroes in their lives and while I
certainly had some myself, my greatest hero was and still is my father. I suppose this is natural for a young boy,
but I hope to convey my feelings about my dad.
Dad is a basketball coach and as the coach's son I practically lived in
the gym with my father. I was at
practice (when I was old enough not to get into trouble) and watched my father
motivate, drive, and most importantly love his players. I dreamed of playing for my hero and making
him proud. It was at these very early
ages that I learned more about my father and at these early stages of my life I
learned about my hero. In this post, I
hope to convey why my father is my hero.
My father is my hero because he truly loves others. The story of Pat Katzer is my first recollection
of seeing how my father loved others. Pat
Katzer was the first player on one of my Dad’s teams that I had a connection
with. Pat took me fishing and was kind
to me. He was a great shooter--something
that I aspired to be. I remember watching
Pat play. I remember being at camps
where Pat would coach me. Pat, however,
had a great trial in his life. One cold
wintery day, Pat was headed home to get gear for basketball practice and hit a
patch of black ice. He was thrown from the Jeep and hit a tree head first. As you can imagine, Pat was fighting for his
life. This was a scary time for me. During this time, I remember watching
Dad. Dad cried for Pat. He visited Pat. He prayed for Pat. He loved Pat. Thankfully, Pat survived, but his life would
never be the same. Pat would never play
basketball again. He had to relearn to
talk and walk. I remember visiting Pat a
few years later (we moved at some point as Dad was forced out of his job at
Elma) and watching Dad care for Pat. It
is in times like this, that I learned what true love is. Love or charity is kind, seeks for the good
of others, believes, hopes, and serves.
These are all things that describe my hero, my father.
My father is my hero because he is humble. At no point in my life was this on greater
display than in my teenage years. Like
most teenagers, I knew everything.
Further, I was certain that my parents knew nothing, really nothing. Due to this, I would instigate contention in
our home. At one point, I decided I was
going to move out. On that night, my
father and I got into it. I don’t recall
the details, but I’m sure basketball or a girl was behind it. Nevertheless, I stormed off and I think I was
at the Anderson’s barn. Maybe there was
a youth dance that night. Regardless, I remember
dad coming up to me and telling me he was sorry and that he loved me. I don’t think he had anything to apologize
about, but dad would always apologize.
If he felt that he was wrong in any way, dad apologized. It is for this reason, that my dad is my
hero.
Finally, my dad works hard and always believes. Dad had polio as a
young child. As a result, one of his
legs is shorter. Nevertheless, Dad loves
basketball. I didn’t learn this until
later in life, but due to his polio, Dad never made his high school basketball
team. He didn’t let this stop him from
being an influence on the game he loves.
In fact, Dad didn’t let anything stop him from accomplishing his
dreams. I think my grandfather, Grandpa Cliff, was the source of this hard work ethic and optimistic outlook. Grandpa would always tell Dad that he could
do anything. I’m thankful Dad instilled
this in me. I have benefited from my father’s hard work and optimistic outlook in many ways. His hard work ethic and positive view on life are more reasons why Dad is my hero.
I love my father. He is turning 64 today! Happy birthday, Dad!! He is also retiring this year. I hope to one day leave the kind of legacy he has left. I want to influence peoples’ lives for good like Dad did. In short, I hope to live up to the life of my
hero, my dad.
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