When I became a parent, that was when I realized just how
wonderful my dad is.
He was always just a great provider.
When he wasn't working, he was always there for us.
He always made sure that we were happy,
and he made us happy.
He was just a wonderful influence on people.
He just led by example.
My dad said, when I married Bill, he said, "You'll never
go without.
He will provide for you."
About a year after she had me, she started having blackouts
and would pass out and whatnot.
And she was diagnosed with MS.
They had indicated that, obviously, there's no cure for
multiple sclerosis.
The divorce rate is fairly high, and it's very stressful
on a marriage.
And my mom was concerned about my dad and where she would be
a few years down the road and basically gave him an
ultimatum and said, "If you're going to walk, there's the
door, because I'm not going to go down this path with someone
who's not going to stay with me." And it didn't take my dad
long to make that decision.
He turned to her and said, "I made this commitment to you,
and it's for eternity."
He never treated her like a burden, never treated her like
she couldn't do anything or excel--never treated her like
she was a problem.
After I was born, my parents were told not
have any more children.
They had a child after me that was miscarried, and then
shortly after had a set of twins.
After my mom had the twins, she was told for sure not to
have any more.
My dad was pretty disappointed.
He had always known he'd have a son and always wanted a son.
And my dad said a specific prayer that he would like a
son and he didn't care what kind of condition he was in.
Down's syndrome was fairly new at the time.
Kids were, for the most part, institutionalized.
The doctors told him to institutionalize him. "He's
never going to do anything."
And we looked at each other, back to the doctor, and we
both said, "He's coming home with us.
He's not going in any hospital."
My dad was so anxious to take his son fishing.
My dad's just this avid fisherman, and he packed up
all the fishing gear and went out into the front driveway
and laid down a blanket and had him and his son just lying
out there, waiting for the morning to come so that they
could go fishing for their first fishing trip.
I'm the only son I have for my dad because
my dad said a prayer.
I don't care if he wants me like I am, handicapped or not
handicapped--"Take him down here." And he did.
There was always such love between him and my
mom and him and us.
He just always treasured his family.
He always provided for us.
I never felt like we went without anything.
We had tricycles made out of parts.
He would find the tricycle frame, and we might have a
huge wheel that went to another
tricycle that he found.
It might take a couple weeks for him to piece it together
and to find all the appropriate parts, but we
never went without anything.
I can remember having neighbors come and place
orders, and family members, even, would place orders for
items out of the garbage.
I think being a garbageman--as lowly as that profession may
seem to ordinary people--he took that, and it was his
source of interacting with others, of serving others at
the same time and still being able to
provide for his family.
Very down-to-earth.
He never tried to cover up that he was a garbageman or
that he did this or did that.
I'm sifting the dirt I just got out of the vacuums today.
And you can see how dirty this is.
I mean, every day I clean it up, get all of
the junk out of it.
But that's what I go for; that's my treasures.
Fatherhood is something that's very special.
I think about it all the time, about the responsibility of
being a father to my children.
They look up to me.
Sometimes it really surprises me that they
think so much of me.
But it's an honor to be a father.
It's a special opportunity that our Heavenly Father has
given to you--the responsibility over these
spirits that He has sent down into your home, to watch over
them, to nurture them, to give them blessings.
Blessings are very important things that I think families
need to have.
I think a lot of families don't realize the importance
of a father's blessing.
But I am very thankful that I am a father, that I have the
opportunity of providing for my family.
The money that I find, people throw it away
every single day.
And this coinage I clean up, and that's what I use to take
my family and my grandkids to Southern California to the
amusement parks every single year for 34 years.
It's funny because my dad's always been given
the easy road out.
My mom's ultimatum: "There's the door; take it." Here's
this son who's handicapped, who may not walk, who may not
speak, who may not even be able to self-feed.
"There's the door; take it.
Have him institutionalized." He has a responsibility, and
he faces up to it.
He does it.
The great thing about him--he never complains;
he just does it.
He knows it's his responsibility; it's his duty.
And he's amazing, and there's no other word
to describe my dad.
Absolutely amazing.