A Tribute to My Father

I honor my father:  Edward Louis Howard.

I remember the day Kareem Abdul Jabar broke Wilt Chamberlain’s record.  Not because I’m into basketball, Jabar, or Chamberlain.  I remember it because I lay in bed with my dad and big brother, watching this moment in history, and listening to my dad talk.  It is one of the most precious memories I have, because it is the only memory I have of it just being me, my dad, and my big brother (who was my best friend at that time in my life.)

 

I remember simply being with my dad in whatever he did.  That was life with my dad.  Whatever he did, we did with him after work.  (He was a fireman, so he worked long hard hours.)

When he was off, if he rode bikes around Macon, Georgia, we rode with him.  When he prepared the pool as a lifeguard, we were at the pool with him, enjoying the pool all to ourselves.  (Once a little boy watched outside of the gate, and my dad let him in.) 

If my dad needed to go run laps to keep in shape as a fireman, even if it was at 2:00 AM, we were with him.  We even spent the night with him once at the fire station one time when he worked.  What son wouldn’t enjoy that?

Some of the very best memories of my life are when I was with my dad.

Just being with him.