A Father's Day salute

Lyons

My own father has been gone for more than 30 years, my grandfathers long before that. So as we pause today to laud our manly forebearers - and be lauded by our heirs - it's with mixed emotions that I greet the day.

The joy of being honoree in my household is tempered by the sadness of not being able to spend the afternoon with those who shaped me into what I am.

For dads everywhere, I salute you this Father's Day. Who else:

€ Can be found beaming proudly when his toddler son picks up a wooden stick and cracks a rubber ball over the backyard fence? (That smile will still be there years later, when the boy, now closer to being a man, is swinging an aluminum bat and driving in runs for the home team.)

€ Saves all year for a family vacation, only to arrive exhausted at the destination because he handled all the driving chores?

€ Works hard all week, yet cheerfully gets up early Saturday and spends the day in the hot sun because Junior wants to catch a fish for supper?

€ Comes home empty-handed from the aforementioned fishing trip because he spent the entire afternoon baiting hooks, untangling backlashes and freeing snags so Junior could get that fish? (And who spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning the fish and the gear while Junior enjoyed a lemonade and sandwich as he explained to Mom how he caught it?)

€ Spends his weekends fighting bugs and poison ivy, sleeping on the hard ground so Junior can earn another badge for his Boy Scout uniform?

€ Spends most of his days off working on the old clunker of a family car, trying to milk a few more months out of it so he can save enough for orthodontic braces and prom dresses? Or spends a month painting the house himself so the family can save enough for a new TV?

€ Is the one who gets up in the middle of the night, baseball bat in hand, to investigate the strange noise in the garage?

€ Winds up wet and dirty on the floor under the sink, when his daughter drops an earing down the drain?

€ Has to drive 30 miles long after his bedtime, with a can of gasoline, after Junior forgot to fill up the tank before going to the movies?

€ Has to stand up during the entire school play because his is a family of four...and there are only three chairs available?

€ Has to clean up the disgusting mess when the dog gets sick in the backseat of the car?

The answer to all of the above is, of course...DEAR OLD DAD!

Remember the poor old guy today, those of you who are lucky enough to still have him around. If your dad is like mine was - and I bet he is - he was glad to do all of those things for you.

Happy Father's Day to all you dads everywhere!

David Lyons is editor and publisher of The Fort Bend Herald. He can be reached at (281) 342-4474 or at dlyons@fbherald.com