Felshaw

My dad ALWAYS said he'd whip us when we were kids, but he NEVER did. He ALWAYS gave us "one more chance."

My dad ALWAYS told me I was a genius. He NEVER, to my knowledge, found out I wasn't.

My dad ALWAYS asks me, "What is your integrity worth?" He NEVER cheats or bends the truth.

My dad has ALWAYS been a runner. My diary from 1980, on the day of one of Dad's marathons, says, "My dad won the race! 64th place overall!" In my eyes, he NEVER loses. He NEVER quits, either. He once ran a marathon with a sprained ankle. He won that race, too.

As kids, we would ALWAYS act exasperated when Dad would say, "Everybody! Hurry! Look at the sunset!" Now I NEVER miss a chance to point out a beautiful sunset to my kids.

My dad ALWAYS calls his grandkids to invite them over. If they don't show up, he NEVER waits too long to come over with his Afghan hounds to see how school went or share a pertinent newspaper article.

My dad NEVER stops teaching. He is ALWAYS learning. For a "gift" one time, my dad bookmarked a big stack of encyclopedias for me for a report on Alpha Centauri, the Nearest Star to the Earth. I was hoping, not for a stack of reference books, but for a Bonne Bell lipgloss, but I wouldn't have remembered a gift like lipgloss 25 years later. The real gift was my dad's excitement.

My dad's kids NEVER did learn Latin. Dad ALWAYS called us into his library and tried to give us Latin lessons. All I remember is "Florida est une peninsula." Hey, aren't most of those words the same in English? Sorry, Dad.

My dad is ALWAYS up for an adventure. I'll NEVER forget the trip I took with him last year to the Florida Keys, all the way at the southern end of the "peninsula." (See how those Latin lessons paid off?) We drove all the way to Key West and all the way back in one long, perfect day. Nobody else would have done that.

I'll NEVER concede that there's a dad out there better than mine. I hope my dad ALWAYS remembers that. Happy Birthday, Dad! Love ya, proud of ya!