FACT:

The theory of evolution is wrong. There's not such thing as 'survival of the fittest', but only a list of creatures that Chuck Norris has allowed to live.

Road trip

Max is always good for a laugh, especially on a long drive when he's exhausted. My laughter is loudest at 58 seconds in...

Some things in life are constant...

Like my dad giving rides to kids on his motorcycle. More specifically, my dad giving rides to kids (in this case, me - in the rad yellow jacket - and then 30 years later, Max) on his 1982 Yamaha. And you better not forget that totally sweet, sparkling blue helmet! Seriously dad, that thing was a piece a crap when I was three and you still haven't thrown it away!? Rest assured, after mom reads this post the sentimental value of that gem will be two-fold and you'll NEVER get rid of it.

dad

Following my highschool graduation in the summer of 1996, my father and I embarked on a backpacking trip together. I had just come off of highschool sports such as Football and Track & Field and was consequently quite fit. I was able to carry my pack with ease and did so moving quickly. My father on the other hand, was a little older than I was, a little slower than I was and struggled a little more than I did on that backpacking trip. Now, he’d get after me if I didn’t clarify that while I had recently completed highschool sports programs, he had recently come out of a double hernia operation. You heard right. I said, DOUBLE hernia operation.

As we hiked, I saw my father’s struggle and I found myself decidedly hiking a little faster. I lengthened my stride and quickened my steps but not to discourage him. I wanted to reach select locations along the trail where I could drop my pack, turn back down the mountain and meet my father where I could then take his pack and carry it for him. We repeated this cycle for several days as we made our way past cascading waterfalls, emerald lakes, small glaciers and what could have been regarded as near sacred landscapes found only in high elevations.

Now I don’t tell you this story so you know how strong I am, or once was rather. Nor do I tell it so you know that I'm a great guy with Christ-like charity. To the contrary, if I remember right my dad was carrying the Peanut M&M’s and Beef Jerky. Without his backpack, any time spent waiting for his arrival would only have been a test of hunger-filled patience... a test I was not up for taking.

The reason I tell you this story is an attempt to demonstrate the character and behavior that my father had worked so hard to instill in his children. And he tried to instill it not by preaching or by lecture, but by his own behavior and example.

I wanted to help my dad in his moment of difficulty because that is what he has done for me my whole life. In fact, my dad has not only helped me but he has made a habit out of helping all those around him in each of their own moments of difficulty. But this is especially true of his children. It has been my observation and experience that whenever he has seen one of us struggling, one of us hurting, or in any kind of trouble, he drops whatever it is he's carrying and comes to our aid. He helps lift the load that others bear and he has done so as long as I can remember. And he continues to do so still.

The difference between my dad's charitable nature and my own futile efforts of the same is that the ones he's helping aren't usually carrying M&M's or beef jerky or anything else in their pack that he might enjoy after aid is rendered. He does it selfelssly, tirelessly and more often than not, without reward. And I guess that's what I'm most proud of about my father. He's not looking for ways to get ahead of others or even gain from others. Instead, he's always looking for ways to give to others and to get them back on the path to where they ought to be. And he asks for nothing in return.