Once, my dad talked to me about the death of his father.
“I’ve always known my dad had my back,” he said. “Even when he was so old that he needed me, I still had the sense that if anything really went wrong with the world, my father could save me. When he died, it felt like the weight of the world fell on my shoulders. I felt alone.”
My own father is a capable man. He played football and soccer and ran track for the Naval Academy. When he graduated, he became a fighter pilot. After serving in the Vietnam War, he became a surgeon. He’s the kind of guy who works tirelessly and proceeds with courage and unwavering integrity. Self-reliant a man as could be, it was eye-opening to discover that in his heart, my dad still felt as though he needed his father….