Happy Birthday

Today would have been my dad's 89th Birthday. I miss him dearly and all day I have been thinking about him. On a Sunday that should be spent with family and on his birthday reminiscing about all the good days that we have had with him. I am stuck at work trying to act excited about a new crop of incoming students. But being here with so many students and their parents makes me think about when he came with me and what a great dad he was. He was definitely a fish out of water having only completed the 6th grade but proud none the less. He taught me a lot and I wish he were here today to stand up here with me and talk to these parents (most of which young enough to be one of his own kids) about trust and responsibility. He was a firm believer in teaching kids the best you could and then letting go. A skill many of the "helicopter parents" I met today could definitely use and one I hope I am successful with teaching my own kids. What does this have to do with cycling? Not much but I don't think he ever told me no when it came to being my one man support crew cycling lonely Texas roads. So my promise to him his that once a year on his birthday I plan to ride how old he would have been on that day. So 365 days from now on July 13, 2009, I want to ride 90 miles in memory of my dad. I am going to ask 9 others to ride with me and help me raise $1000 in his name for Hospice of Wichita Falls. So over a 10 year period that will be a 1,045 miles ridden in his memory and a $11,000 donated to Hospice. Happy Birthday Dad!!!