Father's Day

I write today from southern Washington, where I’m spending time with my son and his family. But I also want to pause and pay tribute to my step dad, known to many as Dr. Dud. He is the kind of person who was always there for everyone. A young man could not ask for a better person to step into his life and be a dad, and I thank God regularly for bringing Dr. Dud into my life. To just say that he was at every soccer and football game doesn’t begin to cover it. He is our dad, but has also been our friend and confidant. Yet, it wasn’t until I had children and grandchildren of my own that I came to truly appreciate all of his effort and sacrifice throughout the years. He invested all of himself in us, and I am a better person because of him. Dud taught me to be a man. In a group setting recently we were asked to share about a person who had made a difference in our lives, a person who was a hero to us. I immediately thought of Dr. Dud and then wrote the below poem about him.

So this is my Father’s Day tribute to Dr. Dudley Pfaff, the man who has had so much influence on my life and one whom I am also very proud to call my friend. I once heard a wise person say that fathers are made of blood, but dads are made of love. No truer words were ever spoken. Thanks, dad, for the man you are and the example you have been to all of us. Much love always, Frank.

To Be a Man

When I look back across the years

And all that I’ve been through

Among the things I’m thankful for

Is the gift of having you

Your example as a Christian man

And a life of humility

Have helped to mold and shape my life

And meant the world to me

Thank you for all that you have done

To point me to God’s plan

For you showed me what it means

To be a Godly man

               By Frank Carpenter ©