As a child my dad would scoop me up in his his arms and throw me into the air before catching me. I learned that scary can sometimes be fun and that in the end he was always there with a safe place to land. Whether it was helping a teenager with a flat tire on the side of the road or newlyweds wanting to move back home to save money for their own house, dad was always there, he was the safe place where we were always welcome.
Some time around 9 years old my dad and I had a serious talk. He made it clear that he never wanted to hear of me starting a fight or picking on someone. Hitting someone in anger wasn’t how we did things. However, he made it very clear that if someone was picking on my little brother that all bets were off. He was fiercely proud of his family and I learned from him that we safeguard and protect them.
