One of the very few benefits of being unemployed is that you are able to view some of the important events that are aired during the day that you normally would only get to see highlights of during the evening news. Today said event was Joe Paterno's live memorial, for those who don't know he was one of the most influential coaches in college sports history and he passed away last Sunday after a brief battle with lung cancer. Todays memorial lasted 2 1/2 hours from start to finish and I had my eyes glued to the screen the entire time. I am not a Penn State fan, the school in which Paterno coached, nor do I follow college football nearly enough to be able to tell you everything there is to know about the man himself. However, I have learned enough about him over the years to know that his impact on people far exceeds the walls of Beaver Stadium, he was more than a football coach and this was brought to light during the memorial. One player from each decade he coached spoke, as well as a recent student impacted by a foundation the Paternos helped found, the dean of the interpretive arts school, the founder of Nike, Phil Knight, and finally Joe's son Jay Paterno. Each speech was moving in it's own way and the person speaking brought their own personal stories of inspiration from their relationships with coach Paterno. None of these was as moving as Jay's words about his Dad, on more than one occasion I was moved to tears from my living room thousands of miles away.
I think what brought me to tears was not necessarily the speeches, but as these people expressed their love for this man, I was thinking of how deeply I've been blessed by the coach in my life. From the moment I set foot on this earth, there is nothing my Dad wouldn't do to bring me happiness. He has filled the roles of teacher, mentor, coach, disciplinarian, financial advisor, counselor, and hero just to name a few. To this day if I need advise on any kind of a situation in my life, I can turn to him for an answer. As I watched the televised memorial and thought of my own blessing, I couldn't help but think about how each one of our fathers has been such an inspiration to all of us. I look at my father-in-law and see a man who has not only passed on impeccable values to his daughter, but also has loved her more than anyone could ever imagine. I see my brother-in-law who even though he lost his father long before he should have, has taken the strong, honest, hard working life's lessons his father taught him and utilized them in a way that would make any Dad extremely proud. I also think of my Dad's mentor, the man who's namesake I proudly carry on through my middle name, and I see that my fathers traits were groomed from a long standing tradition to which I only hope to come close to matching. If I become half the man my father is or his father before him was, I will consider my time on this earth a complete success.
When I think of these things, and as you are reading this post, my only desire is that you do not shy away from openly acknowledging what the father figure in your life has done for you. We should not wait until one day on the calendar in the spring to express our love to the ones that we love. Lord only knows just how deeply I am indebted to my own father for all that he has done to help groom me to the man I am today, I only hope those of you who are reading this have been as fortunate as I have. 17,280, that's roughly how many breaths we take each day and no one knows when we will take our last, so cherish each one of those breaths and share your love with those who surround you.
Remember, live each day to the fullest, having no regrets!
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