To Provide and Protect

This past week I was lucky enough to be invited golfing with Rod Carew. Even though Rod is a legendary Hall of Fame Baseball Player, I found out that in reality he is just a “regular guy”. He lives near me so we have become golfing buddies and last week we talked about a lot of things, things like faith, family, baseball and golf. But the one thing that Rod said that really struck me was, “how much he loved his kids”. He has children of his own that he loves, but in that particular conversation he was referring to the children he spends time with when he does charity work. Since he lost his own daughter to cancer when she was 12, he has devoted himself to providing for and protecting as many cancer stricken children as possible. That’s why he lovingly calls them, “his kids”!

When I heard Rod talk about children it reminded me how important my own children are to me. I have four grown children that I love very much. In fact, my youngest daughter, Brooke, graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo on Saturday and our whole family went up there to celebrate with her. Since this was a huge milestone in my daughter’s life, I felt like it was an important time for me to impart some words of wisdom. However, Brooke is already very intelligent, personable and resourceful, and she has heard lots of advice from me already. So I struggled to come up with the right words, words of advice for a beautiful young woman facing the harsh realities of a world in transition. We had already discussed so many important issues, faith, honesty, integrity, work ethic, the importance of helping others, etc., so what was left?

Then it came to me, we hadn’t discussed finding the right “man”. I have always felt that a father should set an example of what a real man is and therefore what a daughter should look for in a husband. But what is it that truly defines a real man? Well, here it is in a nutshell. Besides loving you for who you are, a real man is someone who is willing to provide and protect! Find a man who puts you first, isn’t afraid to work hard to provide for his family, and is willing to protect you at any cost, and you will have a man who is truly worthy of your love!

And that got me thinking….. Most young men become husbands first and then fathers later on. There is a certain poetic logic to that scenario because as husbands we learn to provide for and protect one other person. If a man learns that lesson well enough, then and only then will he be ready to provide for and protect many others, others he can call “his kids”!

 

The Graduate and her proud Mom!

Teaching kids to count is fine, but teaching them what counts is better.      ~Bob Talbert