Look at these guys! I mean, c'mon! Class acts, I tell you.
As Brittney mentioned in her last post, we are having a little baby boy! Which means
I'm about to be a complete wreck I'm about to be a FATHER! So, today, a celebration for our fathers, has given me extra time for contemplation about what makes a good dad, and how I can implement all of the things these two great men in my life have taught me to be the best father I can be to my son.
Let me show you the reason for my musings:
That baby is awesome. I seriously get all excited every time we get to see him. (Thanks Uncle Greg!)
So, back to my two fathers:
My Dad,
Charles Lewis Scott, is such a good man. I attribute much of what I am and nearly all of what I want to become to this great man in my life. Today, if I were home, he would be milking this celebration of paternal adoration for all it's worth! A little extra bacon, an extra glass of Nesquik with breakfast, first one to read ALL of the newspaper (including the comics!), and I would be giving this man back rubs til my thumbs fell off (about 10-15 seconds with the rocks in his back).
All this extra attention is just a token of my gratitude for endless hours of soccer practice, hundreds of hours spent away from home for tournaments (in hotel rooms), another hundred hours spent on scout campouts (cots if we were lucky, and snow caves if we weren't!), as well as who knows HOW many sleepless nights he spent as I galavanted around Manteca with the Mormon Mafia. He taught me how to play every sport I've ever learned. He signaled me with his token "x across his chest" and "eye-of-the-tiger" sign as he pushed me to dig deeper and be the best I could be during every game I ever played.
He taught me the importance of honesty, integrity, and selflessness; especially in a Church setting. These ideals guided me through the various temptations of my youth and resonated in my mind as I sought to be the best missionary I could be in Argentina. He taught me to finish what I started, and worked with me relentlessly to allow me to finish my Eagle Scout requirements before I got in to High School, saving me from losing focus and never obtaining the award I worked for.
In the hard times that hit our family as I was away in Argentina, my father taught me how to face adversity and hardship with a smile on your face and faith in your heart. His love and devotion for his family never faltered even in the highest times of stress and difficulty. My Dad is who I want to be when I grow up.
My father-in-law,
Jeff Lewis Bean, is an understated, quiet man who guides his family in love and righteousness with a passion and a respect that is admirable, to say the least. I have had the blessing to observe Jeff in various proximities during the last 6 years. Most of what I have learned from him has come from quiet observation and re-tellings of his past stories from his kids (mostly Brittney, of course). I am honored that he has allowed me to be a part of his family, and has given me the responsibility to care for his daughter, and integrate his lineage and traditions with those of my own family.
Jeff is an incredibly intelligent and hard-working man. His optimism and faith in the face of obstacles is on par with the most shining examples I have seen from my own father. Through sheer willpower and diligence, he has excelled in multiple fields and, while enjoying the success, lives a humble life at home with his children and wife every chance he gets. His family and his responsibilities in the Church keep him forever tethered to the path that will allow him to be with his family forever. Never overbearing or demanding, he silently pulls his family on his back and carries their burdens with his own as he leads them in the path of a righteous life. I anxiously look forward to the many years I will have to spend near Jeff and learn from him; he is an inspired man and will continue to teach me to be better.
With these two stellar examples in my life, I have my work cut out for me to be a good father. However, more than unreachable standards of excellence, my Dad and my Father-in-law are teachers and advisors who I know I can always count on to help buoy me up during my challenges and growing moments. I am forever grateful that I was blessed at birth to be a part of my Dad's household, and I feel equally blessed to have met Brittney and be welcomed into her Father's household as well.
Thank you, Fathers. I love you.
