They Named Me After My Hero

Very few of us get to be named after our heroes, Modern Philosophers.

I’m one of the lucky ones.  My hero is my Dad, who was taken from me by cancer when I was nineteen.

While I’ve now lived on this Earth for more years without my Dad than with him, I can still feel his influence on my life every day.

And for that I feel extremely blessed.  I know he’s looking down on me, and I can only hope that he’s proud of the man that I’ve become.

One of my greatest regrets is that I’ve never followed in his fatherly footsteps with children of my own.  I’d love the chance to pass on everything he ever taught me.

I might not have inherited my Dad’s cheery disposition and perpetual smile, but I know he left me so much more than his horrendous sense of style.

I just have this feeling in my gut that I’ve got his Dad gene.

As the years have passed and I’ve remained sadly single, it has seemed like I would never have a chance to celebrate Father’s Day on the receiving end of the horrible gifts.

Things might be changing on that front, though, Modern Philosophers.

Yes, I am still going to be incredibly private about my personal life moving forward after blabbing about it way too much on this blog in the past.

However, lately there’s been an awakening in the Force, which is such a nerdy comment that it probably will not send up any red flags for a certain someone who’s never seen a Star Wars flick.  As a result of what I haven’t said, I have been thinking a great deal lately about becoming a father.

I want so badly for a mini me to call me Daddy, and I’m ready to prove that I can be a great Dad as my father was before me.

I’ve love to be able to tell my Dad how excited I am about my future and my desire to emulate my hero.

Since he’s not around to talk to about it, I wrote him a letter for Father’s Day

My column on The Good Men Project this week is the letter I wrote to my Dad.  I know he was used to getting ugly ties from me every Father’s Day, but I think he’d appreciate this gift just as much.

He died before I really learned how to corral words and bend them to my will.  I’m sure I told him thousands of times that I loved him, but I don’t think I really conveyed that in the same way this letter does.

I hope you will click on the link below and read my Father’s Day gift.  I like to think that every time someone reads the letter, a little bit of my Dad will get passed along in this world.  It can’t hurt to have my father’s spirit out there during such trying times.

http://goodmenproject.com/fathers-day/a-letter-to-my-hero-and-namesake-on-fathers-day-hodgens-jrmk/

I really do miss my Dad, and I definitely will be sad on Father’s Day, but I’m excited about the future that awaits me.

I just wish my Dad were around to give me some tips on raising his grandchildren.

Happy Father’s Day!

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