Paternal Influence

Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there, but especially to my dad. The dad who read to me before I could even talk. The dad who drove hours through snowstorms more than once to visit me in a distant hospital. The dad who introduced me to Tolkien and Asimov and Doctor Who. The dad who gave me my first computer and then my second and third and so on until he could probably have opened his own used electronics store. The dad who encouraged me to write. The dad who didn’t blink when I first told him I wanted to be a lawyer. The dad who helped me type my papers and turn my pages. The dad who kept feeding me tiny bites long after everyone else had left the dinner table. The dad who didn’t give up when it looked like I might not be able to move to Minnesota for law school. The dad who has given me more financial and emotional support than any son should reasonably expect to receive in a lifetime.

Without my dad, my life would have been unimaginably more difficult. I hope he’s enjoying the new Kindle we got him and that I can someday find a way to repay him for everything he’s done for me.