Father's Day Tribute

With Father's Day rapidly approaching, I want to take this opportunity to encourage each of you to write a comment on a good memory from your Dad. If you're a Dad, how about a comment on what it means to be a dad. Here's mine

Oh, and don't forget that card!! I'll use SendOutCards to send mine out.

My Dad, Howard Morris, is a former all star athlete at Linfield College in McMinneville Oregon. He was on the team that started "The Streak" back in 1957. Linfield College hasn't had a losing football season since and has the longest streak in the nation. His entire work career revolved around college sports. He taught, coached and eventually became Athletic Director at Oregon Institute of Technology in Klamath Falls. He passed up many opportunities for advancement because he didn't want to move his family around.

I have many fond memories of running around the gym, jumping up and down on the trampoline and shooting bows and arrows around the campus. We would spend summers fishing and camping...oh, and driving around the state on vacations. Funny how the vacations always revolved around recruiting trips. Growing up in the 60's in rural Oregon was a very simple and harmless time. It was fun and Dad made it easier.

Dad has this incredible knack of attracting birds. It seemed like wherever he was at he got bombarded. Just recently he seems to have passed that mantle on to me. Oh joy!! I also find myself becoming more and more like my Dad. While that used to scare me, now I embrace it. My brothers and I joke about how we are becoming like Dad. While it might irritate him some, we actually are proud of it.

Some of his sayings:

"That's Larapin!" - Good eats

"Marraige is a great institution!" - self explanatory

"It all goes to the same place!" - as his red jello blends into his mashed potatoes and gravy

"Don't knock it until you try it!" - When you look at him in amazement when he puts syrup on his hash browns.

4 years ago I became a Father, almost on Father's day. That was the best gift I could possibly receive... a son. About 1 year later I called my Dad in tears. I told him that I never knew how much he loved me until I realized how much I love my son. I could hear him smile. He simply said, " I guess what goes around comes around."

Tonight, my family was sitting out on the deck eating dinner. My 4 year old son came out and said, "Well Dada, what did we do today?" You see, I always ask him that. Tonight he was being Dad. Later we sat in the hammock while he organized a construction road crew to level the ground under the hammock.

Fatherhood is an amazing gift. It's a blessing when embraced with love. It can be tragic when not. It doesn't take an expert, but one who is willing to put his needs aside for the betterment of his family. I'm proud to say that my Dad is one of the good ones and that I'm doing my best to be one as well.

Dad, I love you!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Your turn. Either comment here or write you own. Link back to mine and let's see where this goes...

Larry Morris is a loan Officer with Equipoint Financial Network in Newberg, Oregon. He specializes in relocations and Sherwood, Oregon neighborhoods and Yamhill COunty. He is a Board Member of the Sherwood Chamber of COmmerce.He can be reached at larry.morris@equipoint.com . His website is www.PDX-Mortgage.com. This material is copy protected 2007 by Larry Morris, Mortgage News that Matters. All Rights Reserved.His opinions do not necessarily represent the views of Equipoint Financial Network.

Licensed in: OR, WA, AL, AK, AZ, CA, CO, CT, FL, GA, HI, ID, IL, IN, IA, MD, MA, MI, MS, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NM, OK, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VT, VA,