Happy Birthday, Dad!

My parents somehow did everything right when they raised their kids.  I don't know how they did it, but I'm so thankful that they have always been so committed to their three "above-average children," as Garrison Keillor would say.  I don't know about me, but my two brothers are definitely above average.  And so are my parents.

My dad just had a birthday.  Let's not talk about how old he is, because the number seems too high for how fit and hardy Felshaw is.  He has the body and the mind of a 50-year-old!  We celebrated with an impromptu lunch at the new restaurant in Kaysville, Orlando's.  Scott is the one who always makes sure we're celebrating properly.  Thanks, Scott!  Tziporah and Rolayne were there for comic relief, and they delivered.  They're so fun to have around.

The camera only added 10 pounds to me.  It was nicer to my dad, and made him look 20 years younger.  No fair!

The night of Dad's birthday, there was sort of an open house soup and cake event at Coco and Bill's.  They're totally happy just to swing open their door and wait to see who comes.  I should learn a lesson from their style.  I'm more of a "Come over at 5:00 sharp" person, and then I'm peeved if you're two minutes late.  I'll have to work on that.

There are a lot of things I'll have to work on if I hope to ever be like my dad.  He's a student (and a master) of the gospel.  He is a paragon of professionalism at his work.  He's the first one to jump to a person's defense if they're being unfairly, or even fairly, maligned.  He doesn't hesitate when a kid needs a ride somewhere.  In fact, he left his own birthday celebration to take Ruby to ballet and pick up Freestone.  He is generous to a fault.  Recently, he gave me a fat envelope to give to someone close by, anonymously.  I hope he didn't write a note to go with it; his handwriting is a very distinctive, refined cursive.

Felshaw always told me about his handwriting that he had terrible penmanship in the 9th grade, so he worked on it until it was good.  All his life after that, his script has been beautiful.  That was just one example of Dad's determination to rise above, in every situation.  His personal code of conduct is impeccable.  He will never go against his personal morals.  You can count on that.  I admire my dad as much as I did back in 1980, when my dad had run another race, and I wrote in my diary, "My dad won the race! 64th place overall and 5th in his age group!"  Aren't we three kids lucky to have a dad that WINS every race?  We love you, Dad!