06/19/2025
MY DAD, MY HERO
Some people choose movie stars for their heroes; others choose athletes; but as long as I can remember, my hero was always my dad. He was a very patient man who taught me how to ride my bike, row a boat, and how to catch a big fish. Every Friday night in the front row of a northern Michigan theater you could find my dad and me watching a western double feature, When he taught me how to play games, he emphasized they were to have fun and that I was never to cheat. He did not just drop me off at church but went with me.
One day I was roasting apples, and my coat caught on fire. My dad saved my life by rolling me to get the fire out. Another time my dad and I were walking in the woods when a mother bear and her three cubs passed between us and our truck. My dad held me close and whispered in my ear to stand still and be quiet. I was not afraid because I was with my dad, my hero.
When my dad was in a coma, I knew his earthly journey was about to end and no longer would he be there for me, so I sat by his bedside and for the last time held the wrinkled hands of my dad, my hero. “Happy Father’s Day, Dad. No amount of money could ever buy what you gave me.”
Janice Buerkel
Resident at American House Petoskey