Being a Dad! (not the easiest of roles)

I have now been a Dad for over 21 years and still not convinced I did it right! 

My first decision on becoming a Dad was deciding whether or not it was the right thing to do!  My son had a 2% chance of surviving his own birth and it was up to me to allow him to try!  

Because of that decision my son took up his own fight and decided to beat the odds and grow up despite the odds and now faces the tough choices of becoming a man independent of his Dad.

My father and I were never what I would call close!  I loved and respected my Dad and appreciated his role in the world.  His generosity and love of his family allowed me to pursue whatever I felt capable of.  He was always there when I needed him and knowing that gave me confidence to grow up fairly independent.

 

My son Matt and I rarely have big father/son conversations.   I have had longer conversations with people I don’t know however my son knows who his Dad is and that he always has his back.   My preconceived notion of what our life would be never developed, however what did, suits me fine!

 

I have had the privilege of raising my son as well as several of his close friends that ended up in circumstances that were beyond their own control.   I love them all and do my best to help them when I can. 

   

I think great Dads as well as great sons and daughters come in all shapes in sizes.  Daily I get a chance to see my close friends becoming great Dads.   

Becoming a Dad truly is a big responsibility and my wish is that more would honor the gift!

Happy Father's Day to all the great Dads in this world. 

…and Matt I love you and being YOUR DAD has made me into the person I never expected to be!

NobleOne

Us or Them? (which are you?)

As a kid I guess I got damaged a bit by the fact that I was often the “last picked” when it came to choosing for teams.   Physically I was a little smaller than my peers and even though I was well liked, I was not thought to be as asset when it came to performing physically! 

 

I took up surfing and skateboarding where individually I was not judged or required to do a small part of a larger contingency!   Perhaps that is why I rarely watch team sports!

Growing up from time to time I would attend Catholic Church with one of my friends and found it odd that I was not allowed to take communion due to the fact that I was not Catholic.  It made me feel that I was a “bit lesser” of a person due to the fact that I was not a part of them!

I was quite active in my own church that was Presbyterian; however it was still quite clear there was a “in or out” feeling that was demonstrated if a person showed up that was not quite “like us.” 

  

Years ago I was watching a remake of the movie Flight of the Phoenix; a discussion came up about religion and one of the cast simply stated that he would not be involved in something where as he described it as an “Us and Them” characteristic.

It was though someone anointed me with one more nugget of wisdom.  Since that time I do my best to keep my eyes open and not to exercise this modality of being! 

Leading a fraternal organization allows me to notice when this rears its ugly head.  Early on I was told to beware of letting “any one” in as it would result in reputations being damaged and poor membership dynamics.

I’m proud to say that’s not “how we roll!” 

I cherish the lessons I have learned over the years and do my best to learn something new when situations appear that at first might feel awkward.

Every time I hear about a “them” I ponder why are they not a part of “us”

Enjoy your day!    

NobleOne

Opinions!

What do they say “opinions are like @$$holes, everyone has one!”  I think another way to describe people that like to give their opinions…gossip!  My take, if you want to give me your opinions, make sure it is an informed opinion! 

As we grow we become more aware to others and those others start to pay attention.  I consider it a good thing however it also comes with armchair quarterbacking, back room meetings and parking lot conversations that lead to disputes and damage reputations! 

Running a nonprofit is like operating your business through a picture window.  Everything can be seen at all times.  Because of that, our actions good or bad, garner praise and skepticism.  

Years ago at one of our early Robin Hood meetings we had a member that wanted to “vent.” I could see the energy leaving the room as this gentlemen continued his uninformed rant.  I decided at that time that negativity would not be introduced at meetings and the policy moving forward would be this…please place you negative comments in a letter and send to us via mail.  (stamp not necessary)  

I  understand that I do not live in a perfect world however I do my best to control want I can. 

·         I welcome folks that want to meet with me and want to talk about how to make things better.
·         I embrace new ideas from leaders that want to work inclusively to grow the organization.
·         I welcome new members as well as old ones back that want to make a positive impact on their lives as well as others.
·         I enjoy hearing about creative ways to make as well as save money!
·         I like to smile and make others smile around me

·         I need to stop saying “I” and change it to “We”

It is my opinion that you all should have a great day and keep it to yourself J

NobleOne