Father's Day has passed.
Let me guess: You gave your dad a card that let him know he's a great dad.
I have a box full of them. I confess ... every scribble by the hands of my three sons became treasures.
And all their cards kept telling me: "You're a great dad!"
But was I? That, my friends, is a question that can nag a father as his family grows and ages.
I'm sure whatever gift you gave your father was just fine. The best part of his day probably was just having you around.
Which leads me to this ... what I think all fathers want from their children.
The same thing I want from my sons:
I want you to tell me it's OK. I want to know you forgive the things that were done wrong ... or not done at all.
I want you to tell me you know who you are and that you are not afraid to be who you are.
I want you to tell me you know how to be happy.
I want you to share a piece of your life with me whenever you can. It doesn't have to be much.
I want you to tell me you understand the pain of others, even if you do not like them.
I want you to have pride in your name and understand it comes from generations of fathers and sons, each with their own achievements and failures. I want you to share the name and its worth with your own children.
I want you to pause now and then and remember a moment we shared. A moment when the world was right and we knew it and swallowed it together. I would hope for many such moments.
I want you to understand you were the product of love and the day you were born it started a fire that still burns.
I want you to know I am a dad and you are a son and that never ends.
All these things will help me believe all those cards I saved that told me … I'm "A Great Dad."
I’m Lonny Cain, and this is my perspective.
