The Death of a Hamster and the Birth of a Savior

Alvin was Parker’s Christmas present 2 years ago. A hamster was the one thing he wanted more than anything else. And Alvin came with the whole setup, too –a two-tiered cage, a spinning wheel, chew toys, a plastic roaming ball (with stand). Alvin was hooked up. And he couldn’t have asked for a better kid. But it was more than a pet/owner thing. Alvin was Parker’s roommate. Parker would create mazes, play with Alvin as much as he could, and show him off to all his friends. Parker absolutely loved Alvin.

A few weeks ago, though, Alvin started to look, well, not so good. Our hope was that he would at least make it through Christmas. Thankfully, Parker hadn’t really noticed too much. Sure, he knew that Alvin had to get cleaned off a little more than usual (we jokingly referred to them as “Alvin’s butt showers”).

But last night, Carissa came to me and said, “Alvin’s not going to make it through the night.” This morning, Alvin was dead.

As a father, the most difficult thing I can deal with is seeing my kids get hurt. And I knew this one was going to hurt Parker. As I prepared to tell my son that his pet had died (thankfully he hadn’t discovered it yet), I knew the reaction that was coming. I knew he would break down. I knew he would cry. And I knew he would have tough questions that I’m not fully equipped to answer.

But if you know Parker, you know that you never know what’s coming next. He’ll ask questions that only God can answer. He’ll point out perspectives you never expected. He’ll think, create, joke and love in ways you never thought possible. Parker loves deeply, fully and passionately. And I was about to deliver news that would break his little heart. That wasn’t the toughest part. The toughest part was that I couldn’t take the pain away. It was something he was going to have to face.

As I prepared, I was begging God for an answer. “What can I possibly do to help him in this?!” The answer came back loud and clear. “Simply be there for him. Walk with him through it. Parker will surprise you in how he handles this.”

This morning, as Parker broke down in my arms and cried into my chest, all I could do is tell him that I love him and that I’m here for him. It was the reaction I had expected. Then, before we buried Alvin in the yard, Parker (in true Parker form) said the one thing that brought perspective to the whole situation.

With tears in his eyes, he looked up at me and said, “Dad, I wish Adam and Eve had never eaten that stupid apple! But I’m glad Jesus was born to fix it all.”

Sure, Alvin was just a hamster. And we can debate the whole “do pets go to heaven” thing. But the kid gets God’s plan in a way that I think most of us can learn from.

I know I can.

Happy 60th Birthday, Dad!

Dad, I have about a million memories of you, and will undoubtedly gain a million more over the years. But on your 60^th birthday, here are just 60 things that that stand out to me—things you had, things you taught me, things we did.

Though none of these is earth-shattering, they work together to form my lifetime. I thought you would want to know some of what sticks out in my mind when I think of you.

You are an amazing father, and now grandfather. You have pushed me over my 35 years to become a man of integrity and responsibility. And while it wasn’t always easy to learn, the truth is that you have shaped me into who I am. I only hope that my sons will look back on their lives with me and have as many things to smile on as I do with you.

With that said, here are some humorous, meaningful, trivial, curious, and in a few cases, revelatory memories I have about you (in no particular order)…

 
1.       Your 80s mustache (For that matter, your 80s hair and glasses, too—thankfully that was only in the 80s!)
2.       Your Volkswagen Bug
3.       Tubin’ on the Guadalupe
4.       Your hardtop Jeep (that top made a perfect fort when you took it off)
5.       My 1^st dove hunt (someone winged a duck and you had to decapitate it!)
6.       Going around in the rowboat on the pond outside Grandpa’s house in Middletown
7.       Your motorcycle (I always secretly wanted a ride on that thing…)
8.       You showing me a $100 bill (I never knew anyone actually had those!)
9.       You waking us up to see Haley’s comet when we lived in San Angelo (3:30am seems worth it now.)
10.   You hanging up the basketball goal on Danley Ct.
11.   Our first propane grill and the first time you let me light it (I still emulate you on the grill)
12.   You putting up that HUGE canvas tent in the backyard in Kerrville for my birthday
13.   Boy Scout camping/meetings/fundraisers
14.   Having you as my youth soccer coach
15.   Watching you play racquetball (What was that first one about the 80s look?!)
16.   You teaching me the rope swing over the river at the Sorrells’
17.   The Turkey Trot – every year now
18.   The phone call when I told you that you were having a grandson – best, hardest phone call of my life!
19.   You teaching me to drive (Best life lesson I’ve ever had, “Don’t let the car behind you drive you.”)
20.   The paddle
21.   “Borrowing” your Ford truck to drive to school while you were in Japan—I was 15. (Sorry you’re just now learning about this one!)
22.   When you and Steve set fire to the field in Flower Mound on the 4^th of July
23.   Golfing in the Father/Son tournament with you when I was 9 or 10 (We won!)
24.   Deep sea fishing with you in Florida during Christmas
25.   Visiting you at Mooney (Coolest office ever is where you can look out and see planes!)
26.   Driving into Flower Mound for the 1^st time – you laughed when I said LHS looked like a prison
27.   Spinning out on the highway on the way home from San Antonio one winter (in the Jeep)
28.   My 1^st deer hunt (Yes, you were right, that deer was WAY too small. Glad you didn’t pull the trigger.)
29.   Spending Spring Break of my senior year with you in Galveston
30.   The time you got our Kerrville neighbors to play Santa while we were out for a night (I think I was 8 – that reignited my belief in Santa for a few more years!)
31.   You building the porch cover at the house in Kerrville
32.   Having to tell you that I had just gotten a speeding ticket (I was so afraid, but your reaction was PERFECT – grace and a second chance is what I learned there)
33.   You going to court with me to deal with said ticket
34.   Going to a Miami University homecoming game
35.   Walking through a Middletown cemetery with you, hearing about the history of our family
36.   Visiting Grandpa for that last time with you
37.   The San Angelo arts festival
38.   Laughing with you about certain relatives (I’ll just leave that one a bit generic here.)
39.   The 1^st time you let me mow the grass alone
40.   Watching you play on a company softball team
41.   Your Texas flag running shorts (not sure why I remember those)
42.   Going through some of Grandpa’s WWII stuff with you in the attic in Middletown
43.   Golfing with you in the Auggie Memorial
44.   You taking Carissa and me out after we got married for a PHENOMENAL dinner!
45.   Going to Comfort to help build Tim’s house
46.   The 1^st time you actually let me watch MTV (I hate to admit, but it wasn’t the first time I’d actually watched MTV!)
47.   Going to the Mason’s Lodge with you
48.   Riverhill Country Club – swimming, golfing, eating
49.   4^th of July at Lois Hayes Park in Kerrville
50.   Seeing you at my soccer games in high school
51.   Seeing you catch a bat that had gotten into the house on Daley Ct.
52.   Watching you meet  Jackson for the 1^st time (and Parker, and Matthew)
53.   Seeing pics from your Alaska and Canada trips (although it just makes me jealous!)
54.   Driving in the Jeep at Almosta Ranch…my 1^st 4-wheeling experience (I should have buckled my seatbelt)
55.   Drive-in movies in the station wagon in Kerrville
56.   Christmas in San Angelo when you gave us the electric train set
57.   Your hat collection (And stopping to pick up “road kills” to build your collection.)
58.   Your deer rifle
59.   Your generosity
60.   The single most important memory I have: the conversation with you a few years back at Buffalo Wild Wings about your faith in Jesus (because now I know we will develop more memories for eternity!)

I love you Dad! Happy Birthday!