Father's Day 2009

Today is a very special day for me. There is nothing I have done as well as bringing our 3 boys into the world with my wife, Susan (Francie). I am very proud of all three of them for different reasons because they are all three very distinct in their own way. I love hanging out with them as grown men, and I loved having them sleep on my tummy when they were babies, and almost every moment in between (I could have done without the teen years), but otherwise, they are the best sons ever!

This is also the day that I honor my dad, Ken Ishmael. He is my hero, my mentor, my confidante, and my best friend. At 88 he is still all those things to me, although he is in the early stages of Alzheimer's. Dad is incredible.. winning several golf tournaments as an adult (he won his club's golf championship two years running... when he was 64 and 65, and winning one with a final round 69.). As a young man he was an all star athlete in baseball, basketball and football. He has more integrity than 100 men (we have driven back 38 miles while on vacation because the gas pump guy gave him 32¢ too much change). He was a federal law enforcement officer for many years. When his parents were so poor they could barely get by, he sent them 10% of his paycheck every month to help out (the only one of his 7 siblings to do so). I just cannot imagine having a better father than my Dad!

So, before I leave for Africa I called my dad on Father's Day to wish him the best. All he could talk about is how he wished we lived closer together all these years. I'm really going to miss him over the next 6 months while I'm gone. The computer I bought him does have a built in camera and he has Skype, so we'll be in touch as often as I can... at least every other day.

Later today I will be headed out to Claim Jumpers for a late lunch with Clay, Reese and Susan (Francie) to celebrate at our favorite family restaurant. That is always fun and is a tradition we set several years ago. The only one of my sons who will not be there is Greg. He is busy running a marathon in the village of Kilimanjaro, Tanzania today. Tomorrow he heads up to summit Mt. Kilimanjaro, a five day endeavor. When he lived in Japan he summited Mt. Fuji, and his goal is to run a marathon in every continent (even Antarctica has one!). So, we will all be together again next Saturday in Johannesburg as we fly there from D.C. and Greg comes down from Kenya. I can't wait.

The preparation for our trip continues. There is much to do and not enough time to do it in.....