I’ve got a number of photos, drawings, crafts and scribbled up papers hanging in my office that my kids have made for me over the years for special occasions. These gifts tend to come my way each year when Father’s Day rolls around. By my desk, I have two popsicle stick projects hanging up that my boy, Easton, made for me in years past. On one frame he wrote the words, “World’s Best Hunter,” and gave it to me as a gift for Father’s Day. And despite that being far from the truth, it was a nice gesture on his part. Every dad wants to be “the greatest” in their child’s eyes. But being the greatest hunter never was, nor is, anything I ever cared to achieve. That’s why I don’t spend more time on the road in pursuit of critters. I’d honestly rather be at home, hunting with family than out on the road spending week after week chasing big bucks or a limit of ducks.
World’d Best Hunter or World’s Best Dad – Which are you striving to be?
The other frame hanging on the wall was given to me by my son for Father’s Day the following year. This time the words read, “World’s Best Dad.” I got a lump in my throat when I read the words. A flood of emotions ran through me in an instant. I was blessed that he expressed such strong words, but also felt guilty because I knew I wasn’t half the man my child thought I was. Nonetheless, the “World’s Best Dad” frame was quickly hung next to the other frame and serves as a daily reminder of what matters most.
I’m reminded every day that no buck, bull, bear, or bird is worth more than my marriage and family. You can spend a lifetime working to be the best hunter in your town, or across the country – then what? Does it really have any lasting significance or value? What matters is the investments we make into our children. I can promise you one thing, at the end of the day, you are the only person on earth that truly cares about that big buck you killed. Your kids don’t give a rip that you killed a buck big enough for the book. They just want your time. They’d rather have you at home in the yard flingin’ arrows with them than watching you drive off down the road in search of your next big adventure.
I want to encourage you to consider what matters most in your life. Trophies on the wall will eventually be hauled off to the dump, but investments made in the life of a child hold eternal value.
World’s Best Hunter or World’s Best Dad – Which matters most?
