Fatherhood

So, I’m going to be a father. Yeah, I know, it’s a huge deal. It’s something that I’ve thought of, dreamed about, and wanted for a very long time. When my own father passed away in 1992, I was left wondering what my life would be like concluding my teenage years without a father around. I did all right, made the right choices, and am a good man. Or so I would like to think. I do often wonder what kind of man I would be right now if my father was still around.

I have also wondered the type of father I will be when my time finally came. I don’t have to wait much longer. My son or daughter is due in December and Karen and I are scared, excited, relieved, petrified, and everything else in between. I know I’ve prayed and wondered about this, but the time is rapidly arriving and the joy and panic are becoming one emotion and I don’t know which one is winning. If I had to guess I would say that the panic is the weaker of the two, but it’s there.

So here is my message to my unborn child. It is universal and can be applied whether boy or girl….

Hello:

I wanted to let you know how great a blessing you have been to my life. From the time your mom told me that she was pregnant with you, to the time you entered the world, you were always at the front of my mind. You were loved before you ever existed and your future was always discussed by your mother and I. I may not have always done the right thing, said the right thing, or behaved in the most appropriate of ways, but just know that with you, I did the best job I could. I wanted you to have the best in life, to know right from wrong, and to reach for the stars as best you could. There’s a cliché in our society that the only thing a child had to do to make their parents happy was to come home at the end of the day. A touching sentiment, and very true, but I want to expand upon it. It matters not to me how successful you are, what type of job you obtain, what friends you have, so long as the life you lead is a good one. I want you to achieve goals, I want you to want amazing things for yourself, and I want you to believe that there is nothing in life that you cannot have. If you do these things, in addition to coming home at the end of the day, then, you will have made me happy. At the time of my writing this, your mother was my greatest love on this earth. She is passionate and brave, strong and loving, and perhaps the most organized cleaner the world has ever seen. Of course you know this, you’ve met her. As time went on, and we met the struggles of raising you and showing you the beauty of this world, my love for her grew even more. She put up with a lot from me, and I did my best to show her every day of our lives together that she was my treasure. This is what I hope for you when it comes time, many many many many many many years from now, like when you can rent a car, which in this country is 25, and you find yourself in love. One of the things your mom loved about me was that I was cheesy. I loved being romantic on dates, at home, and everywhere else. I need you to do the same. Don’t be afraid to show love, don’t be afraid to receive love, and never run away from the opportunities that love presents to you. To my son, if she is a good woman, with strong values as you do, and she makes your heart skip a beat every time she walks into a room, tell her. Show her that she matters a great deal to you. To my daughter, if a young man enters your life that treats you like the queen you are, never takes advantage of your goodness, and doesn’t mind having your mother along on your dates, then you have my blessing, and you can see this man. Know this though, as your father, no one is good enough for you. I apologize now if I embarrassed you in front of a boy you liked, but it’s my job to protect you and try to shield you from as much pain as possible. I can’t protect you forever, so I had to do the best with the time that was given to me. I love you, always have, and always will. You will forever be known as the best Christmas present, I ever received. Thank you for having the heart of a servant, for being selfless in selfish times, for being the type of child that a parent can’t stop bragging about, and for making my life even better than it was before you arrived. Make your life extraordinary and never let a moment to be great pass you by.

So that’s what I want to say to my child, and how much I desired to have them in my life. Will I be a good dad, well time will tell on that one, but I believe that if I care enough, if I understand that I will make mistakes but never repeat them, if I love them unconditionally all the days of their lives, then I believe I will make a great father.

Yes, I’m scared and I’m elated at the opportunities that fatherhood will bring to my life, but I think, no, I know I’m ready for this. I want this, and by the grace of God, and love of the woman who helps me get through the days, I say bring it on. Nothing could be as scary or bad as not going through it at all.

Until next time
P
a.k.a.- Dad

The End of the Beginning

It has come down to one night, one final episode, one last look at his beginnings. Tonight marks the end of Smallville. Thank you, for making my loyalty mean something. That is what I want to say after seeing tonight's finale. So far, things have been great in this last season. The enemy of the season, Darkseid, hasn't really been the enemy Clark's used to seeing. He hasn't really made much of an appearance. No the real enemy of this season has been man himself. Men who have made made the mistake of thinking that people, like Clark, doing things for the good of humanity are nothing more than curse to society and must be dealt with.

I think what this shows us is that really, there is no greater enemy to the Man of Steel than man himself. We are selfish, arrogant, corrupted, and want more for our own well being than we do for the well being of others. This is not what the future Superman has been about. He's actually been the one who selflessly gives of himself and his abilities to protect the world and protect the innocent from evil.

What tonight symbolizes is the end of the beginning. The last nine years have been a great prequel to the Superman movies showing us what Clark Kent was like growing up in Smallville and trying to learn who he was and what his destiny would become. It's been nice knowing all along where he would end up, but it was great watching the journey, and that's what this was all about, a journey.

Knowing the destination is one thing, but knowing how to get there is a completely different thing. Clark Kent's journey was one we all knew where he would end up, but seeing how got there was fun. Sometimes, yes, it was annoying and hard to sit through, but tonight, we get the payoff, we are rewarded for going along with him on this journey.

it has been fun, hard at times, and frustrating, but the creators, actors, and writers have made this a fun show to watch, and a great show to lose yourself in. End of the beginning is just a few hours away. The one great lesson we can learn from this show, is that we all must write our own destiny.

Until next time
P

Classy

Now was that any way to end a marvelous career? Was that any way for a Champion to behave? You know you're going to lose, is there any reason to take away from your legacy as well? I am of course speaking about the horrendous yet wonderful game between the Dallas Mavericks and the L.A. Lakers this past Sunday.

Now, before we go on, I have to confess something, I don't like, nay, I hate the Lakers. I loathe them and just about everyone on that team, with the exception of Pau Gasol. I was happy to see them lose, happy that it happened on the road so that everyone could rightfully boo them. There was nothing good about the game if you were an L.A. fan, and everything right if you were hoping to see them get swept.

However, what you didn't want to see was the reigning champions behaving like little kids on the playground who were mad that their team lost the kickball game at lunch. You expect professionals to be classy in both winning and losing. That was not the case on Sunday. First, cheap shot by Odom on Dirk, nothing major here, just a cheap shot that didn't need to happen. Then came the jerk of the year moment when Andrew Bynum elbowed J.J. Barea in the ribs while Barea was attempting a layup. The two actions happened in about 45 seconds from each other, and both resulted in ejections for the two Laker stars.

Odom went quietly and without incident, but Bynum felt it necessary to remove his jersey and leave the court half naked. Why? Why was that necessary? No one wanted to see that, and all it did was make you look like a little child upset that he was going home a loser.

In Game 2 of the series, Ron Artest took a similar cheap shot to Barea which resulted in his ejection and suspension from Game 3. Now for those of you who don't know who J.J. Barea is let me tell you. He is a backup point guard for the Dallas team and hails from Puerto Rico. He stands about 5 foot 6 and weighs about 160 pounds when fully dressed in a suit of armor.

He's good, but he's not the kind of player that should have caused this much frustration to the Lakers. Their actions towards him weren't because of anything dirty or cheap Barea was doing but rather because they were mad they couldn't stop him. So that's how you deal with a situation that becomes difficult for you to handle like a man, you behave like a child? Wow, that's class, real class.

I am so glad this happened. Happy that Barea is all right and is able to continue the post season, but also happy that this happened to the team I despised. I mean you Magic Johnson, Mr. Los Angeles Laker himself, talking bad about the Lakers at half time. He was disgusted by their lack of heart and their inability to play to their potential in a must win game. I have been telling people that the Lakers are a joke for years, and this Sunday they validated my point.

All they do is whine and complain and show what little class they truly have. Good riddance to them and to their attempt at another championship this post-season. I m happy, more than you can know, that this is over and I don't have to watch them make a mockery of the game I love anymore.

I feel bad for Phil Jackson, who ended a stellar career as player and coach. His legacy will not be tarnished because of this one game, but will be remembered for the championships, the winning seasons, and the class that he had in the league. This game was bad, and it wasn't his fault, he didn't go out there and not play well, his team did. He called timeouts, he got in faces, he did what you're supposed to do, his players didn't.

I am a fan who appreciates class in the players and the organization. Sunday, The Lakers proved they have none. They are not who said they were, and the world now sees that.

Go away, and never come back, you all have no class.

Until next time
P