"To the world, you may be just one person... but to one person, you might just be the world."
Father's Day is three days away. While I realize not everyone has a father figure in his or her life, I think those of us who do can point to the times when he has truly come through. I have heard many stories of fathers helping sons and daughters, but one story in particular touches me from The Power of Attitude:
Limping Across the Finish Line
August 1992. Derrick Redmond from Great Britain was favored to win the 400-meter race during the summer Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain. But as he powered around the backstretch his hamstring snapped. Derrick tried desperately to finish the race, but he still had half the distance to go. Because he couldn't walk, he began to hop. One step-a grimace. Two steps-a yell.
Jim Redmond had to get to his struggling son. He doesn't remember all the steps down from Section 131, Row 22, Seat 25 of the Olympic Stadium. He doesn't really remember leaping over the railing or pushing off security guards who were too stunned to stop him. He was not just a spectator at the Olympics anymore; Jim Redmond was a father, and he had to get his son.
"Dad," Derrick said, "Dad... Get me back to lane five. I want to finish."
As the whole world watched, father and son, leaning on each other, made their way around the track as the crowd ros to their feet cheering. Olympic organizers can light the skies with fireworks, they can invite kings and queens... but this was the magic of real life.
You may not have run in the Olympics, but I know that you have had your share of similar trials. When you have run into troubles and someone has been there to help you finish that race, that is the same feeling of comfort and love that Derrick felt when his father came down to help him.
Family Traditions
Aside from Derrick Redmond, I am reminded of a story from Lance Wubbels, a friend with whom I co-authored a book called To a Child, Love is Spelled T-I-M-E. As a young boy in his small country home, Easter was an exciting time of year for Lance. The true excitement from the day came in the evening before Easter.
Sitting in his family's kitchen, his mother would spot something coming over the hill, something resembling a big white bunny! As Lance and his siblings crept towards the kitchen window to peer into the darkness outside, a loud bang from a white paw came from the living room window. Lance and his siblings ran there just missing the spectacle. Suddenly there was a pounding from another window, yet by the time they reached the window, the elusive bunny could not be found. The chase would go from room to room, children laughing and screaming with delight, and stop as suddenly as it started. Lance's father would then come up from the basement to be greeted with stories of the Easter Bunny.
The family tradition Lance's family celebrated did not require much investment, only a white paw glove, some time, and some imagination. However, those ingredients made the holiday special and memorable, because "It isn't the big pleasures that count the most; it is making a great deal out of the little ones."
What do you have planned for the father figure in your life for this weekend? Do you have any traditions at a special place in your heart? Share them with us!