Sunday, June 19, 2005

Happy Father's Day

One of my favorite filmmakers in the world is Kevin Smith. You parents may not know him by name, but you might know about his movies (Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Jersey Girl). His story is one of the good ones in Hollywood, he charged $28,000 worth of movie equipment on various credit cards so he could make his first movie, Clerks, which was critically acclaimed and earned him the career that he has now, making movies on his own terms. His voice is extremely unique, one that is snarky and clever, albeit extremely crass. You may not agree with a lot of his views -- I know there are many that I take issue with -- but he is one of the greatest and funniest storytellers on the planet.

Smith and his studio, View Askew, have a massive following, particularly in those of the 18-35 age group, particularly because Smith makes himself completely available to his fans, often speaking at colleges and comic book conventions, as well as posting on a regular basis to the forums on ViewAskew.com. Recently, he started a sort of online diary called "My Boring-Ass Life" in which he expounds on just that, all of the things that happen during his day-to-day life.

I've been reading it for quite a while now (see SilentBobSpeaks.com) and I normally wouldn't point discerning minds there because he can be pretty crass and use some colorful language, but on a day like today, I had to. 2 years ago, his father died very suddenly. It was a painful time for him, but in true Kevin Smith fashion, he writes about what he feels and his own life story. This post on his blog is about his dad and I wanted to put it up here today. My father has been an amazing influence on my life and I am always appreciative of the sacrifices that he and my mom have made to make sure that their family has always been provided for. He is the kind of man that people aspire to be like for their families...always supporting, always loving, always hurting for their loved ones when they hurt. He has shaped the man that I have become thus far and I hope to continue to become more and more like him.

I have also been fortunate enough to have married into a family with a great dad as well. He has taught me a lot of things as well and I am forever grateful that he and my mother-in-law gave me their blessing to marry their wonderful daughter. I don't mean to be a total sap, but I know this: the father-figures that I have had in my life are better than anyone could ever ask for. I am so blessed to have such amazing examples to model my life after.

One of the things that Kevin Smith did in his post was list all of the things that his father taught him, so I would like to do the same and highlight some of the things that my father and my father-in-law have taught me.

Our Family

My father and father-in-law taught me:
  • That there is nothing more important than family.
  • That giving your wife flowers never gets old.
  • That we won't always agree...and that's OKAY.
  • That if a love for music is wrong, I don't want to be right.
  • That you can feel it when you strike a golfball in the sweet spot.
  • That most food that is grilled is better than most food that is NOT grilled.
  • That love always wins.
  • That I wish I would have stuck around to learn piano or at least some other instrument.
  • That you should always buy whatever candy/coupon book/ baked good a kid is selling if they ask you.
  • That, if you can, you should laugh until you lose your breath.
  • That those "computer things" are going to be HUGE.
  • That crying and caring deeply about things does not make you less of a man.
  • That honesty is always a good choice.
  • That a walk with God is much much better than one without Him.
  • That my brother will always be my brother and I should be continually aware of my influence.
  • That you should stand up for what you believe.
  • That when your father-in-law refuses help from his daughter to dig out a grease trap, help him and don't ask questions.
  • That the difference in our ages does not preclude us from being great friends.
  • That the difference in our ages also will contribute to many MANY misunderstandings.
  • That the things that you do, watch, and listen to should have "moral redeeming value".

Happy Father's Day, you guys. You are amazing in ways that I cannot even explain.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the laugh and a few tears. I hope that my children will write that for me some day. I miss my dad more this year than any time since he died 5 years ago. Happy fathers day, Pop.