Fathers Day – 2020

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“He didn’t tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it.”  ~Clarence Budington Kelland

“A truly rich man is one whose children run into his arms when his hands are empty.”  ~Author Unknown

“My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person, he believed in me.” – Jim Valvano

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“A dad is someone who
wants to catch you before you fall
but instead picks you up,
brushes you off,
and lets you try again.

A dad is someone who
wants to keep you from making mistakes
but instead lets you find your own way,
even though his heart breaks in silence
when you get hurt.

A dad is someone who
holds you when you cry,
scolds you when you break the rules,
shines with pride when you succeed,
and has faith in you even when you fail…”  ~ Unknown

This is my dad, Jim Wheaton. He and my mother gave me a happy childhood. While I was growing up, I didn’t realize how very special he was. I just loved him and tried to please him. I learned so much from him.

• He taught me not to let what others might consider a disability make any difference. (He had very little use of his left arm and hand.) When he met a man sitting on the sidewalk with a sign asking for handouts, holding up a hand like his own, my dad crouched down, looked him in the eye, held up his very similar hand, and said, “Get a job.”
• He taught me the value of looking for humor in a situation. He made the kids at school laugh so hard they quit making fun of him. He stood back, able to see a situation as if it were in a movie in front of him, and reached for the humor, rather that simply reacting. Right before he died, he wrote a note to us. It said, “Remember me laughing.”
• He taught me to never stop learning. He spent hours pouring over books on archaeology and geology – what he would have liked to do with his life. He was endlessly fascinated.
• He taught me the value of being different. He ran a one-man radio advertising agency in Tulsa, OK. He was given a lifetime achievement, Silver Addy award by the the Tulsa Chapter of the American Advertising Federation – “With admiration and respect for his unique contributions in advertising to Tulsa and all other markets.”
• He taught me the importance of showing up. He was my special guest speaker in a class for my master’s degree. (He was well-known in Tulsa, and people recognized his commercials on the radio.) I made a presentation showing how I would teach advertising techniques to students. He had the whole class laughing and fully engaged during his speech. As he finished, he said, “One of the nice things about speaking to a group like this is being able to tell you how proud I am to be the father of my daughter,  Linda Lewis.” The class made a collective gasp, as I had just introduced him as “Jim Wheaton – Tulsa’s 2nd worst radio voice” (his self-designation). Needless to say, this is something I will never forget.  I still tear up.

If you can enjoy your dad today, let him know how very special he is to you. Give him a HUGE hug and big kiss. Start making EVERY day Fathers Day.