On this Father’s Day, my mind and heart are full. I’m spending today thinking about my own dad—he was a truly good man, and I miss him. But I’m also looking at the next generation. I have to say, nothing makes me prouder than watching my three sons with their own kids. They have turned into absolutely phenomenal fathers, and seeing that is the best Fathers Day gift I could ask for. I must have done something right!

This morning while doing my devotions, I came across this and it’s so true.

A dad’s daily choices—how he treats others, how he handles pressure, and how he lives out his values—create a pathway for the next generation. The Bible notes that a father’s quiet, everyday integrity is one of the greatest gifts he can leave behind.

​”The righteous man walks in his integrity; his children are blessed after him.”

— Proverbs 20:7

​It makes you think about what really matters. At the end of the day, being a good dad isn’t about being perfect; it’s about showing up. It’s about quality time. It’s making your kids a priority, plain and simple. When you give your kids that kind of love, it sticks with them. It becomes a trait that gets passed down proudly from generation to generation. Now I see my three sons making time for their children. They are really good fathers and that makes me very proud.

Looking back now I realize that when I was just a little guy, my dad was incredibly busy trying to start up a business. He had a lot on his plate. Yet, when I look back at my childhood, I don’t remember the stress or the long hours—I just remember him being there. He was always present, always making time for me and my siblings.

​My Dad

During those hot Minnesota summers, he would come home after a grueling, exhausting day at work, but he never let it show. My brother and I would be waiting in the driveway, gloves on, holding his glove, just watching for his car. The second he stepped out, we’d toss him his mitt. Without even changing out of his work clothes, he’d head out to the backyard with us. We’d get a neighborhood game of baseball going with all the local kids, and Dad always pitched. That image of him pitching to us and the neighborhood kids in our backyard in New Ulm is etched in my mind forever.

​He also loved taking us fishing for bullheads down at the Cottonwood River in New Ulm. Man, our family loved bullheads! Some days we would catch them by the bucket load. I can still see his face so clearly—smiling and laughing up a storm while us kids reeled them in one after the other. He was keeping busy baiting hooks and unhooking fish that he didn’t even have time to stop for a cigarette.

​Passing It On

When it was my turn to raise a family, I wanted to pass that same spirit down. I made sure to play ball with my boys in the backyard, and I loved every second of it. Just like when I was a kid, our backyard in Madison would fill up with the neighborhood kids, everyone throwing around a baseball or a football.

​Now, looking back with a bit of hindsight, I think every dad wishes he could have done a little better, spent just a little more time. But man, did we have some fun. I still smile thinking about the legendary wrestling matches we used to have right in the middle of our living room. We’d imitate the old-school pro wrestlers we watched on TV—Dr. X, The Crusher, Hulk Hogan, and Ric Flair. The boys would climb up and launch themselves right off the back of the couch onto me, coming down hard with an elbow or a leg drop!

Their sister, Brianna, would get right in the middle of the action, too, and let me tell you, she could hold her own. She was an absolute terror of a living room wrestler and could dish it out just as good as the boys. Every now and then, things would get a little too rowdy, and Roxie would have to step in as the referee to put a stop to it before someone ended up crying—which, let’s be honest, happened more than a few times!

​Those are the moments that make a life. To my dad up above, and to my sons who are keeping the tradition alive: Happy Father’s Day. There’s no greater job in the world.