Ask Dad, he knows.

Today is the day we dads have been looking forward to since Sunday, June 19 2016. We relish in the eggs and bacon brought to us, the delicious doughnuts with their chocolate frosting, the coffee maker humming a song as it brews delicious warmth for us. We enjoy the early Sunday morning calm as the sun brightens up our home and our children play in harmony letting us have a pleasant time with our wives. We look forward to the cards with macaroni art, the parchment paper collages which are apt renditions of our ruggedly handsome faces. The ties wrapped neatly in their boxes cannot wait to be wrapped around our necks. Our thoughts drift toward our afternoon barbecue and drinking some cold ones in the backyard. Perhaps today we will save the life of one of our children in a heroic fashion. It could be our son hurriedly running into the street to retrieve a bouncing ball. Foolishly, he did not look for a car while one is coming towards him with alarming rapidity. That's where we,

Never underestimate the power of a dad's love. Whether his love be shown by words of affection, gifts, quality time, acts of service or hugs and kisses, a dad's love is indispensable to his children and can ease a great deal of hurt or need. Discerning how to show love to a child can be difficult at times when balancing everything that life contains, but the gift of love is always a good thing. 

What is music? Notes on a page, rythm, time signatures, flats, sharps, naturals, voices, instruments. All of those are important to music but none are integral. They don't get to the core of the matter. There is A Capella music which does not include instruments. Likewise there are instrumental songs which have no voices. Keys change as well as time signatures. Some music is only percussion. What is the constant? Where does music come from and why do we keep singing it or playing it? A man once taught me that music is the manipulation of emotion into song. I was 7 years old at the time and didn't quite understand it. He repeated it to me over the years and eventually it stuck. Whether the good times or the bad times there is music for the occasion. As a dad I have played for my family and for myself and will continue to do so. Taking the emotion I have inside and communicating that to whomever I am with has been a great source of joy for everyone or a source of healing when ne

This is a special day indeed. Today we celebrate Mothers all over the world but especially the ones closest to us: the mother of our children, our own mother, our grandmothers, mother-in-laws and any women who were like mothers to us. Anna Jarvis (1864-1948) began the push for Mother's Day in 1908. By 1914 the second Sunday in May became an official holiday where mothers all around were typically presented with flowers, cards, gifts and affection from their loving children and husbands. The holiday has progressed and adapted as the society has evolved but the underlying love and appreciation for the woman we call "mom" has remained. As far as dads are concerned this is a great opportunity for our kids to see how we affectionately treat someone who is so important in our lives. We can also teach our sons how to love a special woman and we can show our daughters the admiration and gratitude they will deserve as mothers. To all the moms who make us dads, thank you and

How much affect does something a father says have on his children? How long will those words be remembered? Will they reinforce and define the child? Most words are forgotten and the parent is remembered for being loving, encouraging and supportive. Oftentimes the dad is remembered for not being there or not saying what should have been said. Let’s see how Cal Ripken Jr. remembers his father. Cal Ripken Jr. played baseball for the Baltimore Orioles from 1981 to 2001. He had 3,184 hits, 431 home runs, 1,695 RBIs, 19 All-Star appearances, 2 AL MVPs, 2 Gold Gloves, 8 Silver Sluggers, 1 World Series Championship and he is known as the Iron Man for his streak of 2,632 consecutive games played. This Hall of Fame baseball player is a son of Maryland. He grew up in Aberdeen, MD while his father, Cal Sr., was a professional baseball player. His father and mother, Violet, shaped him to be the man he is. Notably, Ripken enjoys cooking. His mother wanted to make sure the young baseb

A dad must provide. A dad must protect. Perhaps two of the more common answers when the question “What does a dad have to do?” is asked. Other answers are that a dad has to: educate, set examples of good behavior, create good emotional relationships with his children and just be there. All of these are great answers and are essential to the calling of fatherhood that many men respond to but I think there is something more essential and to the core of being a dad that these answers hint at. The first thing a dad has to do is to love. The simplest way to summarize what dads must do is to say they must love. All other roles are subordinate to this one but they are also a fulfillment of love. Providing, protecting, teaching, inspiring, developing, educating, instilling value are all crucial things a dad does – expect individual blogs over the course of the next year on each one of these. All of those are things a dad does and therefore are a manifestation of dad’s love. The usua