Father’s Day | GMacMedia Blog - By Gerard MacLellan

Happy father’s day dad! (And all you fathers out there)

I was away during mother’s day and only had time for a very quick post. At the time I failed to properly acknowledge the amazing mothers in my life, most notably my own mom, and my wife, but also my grandmother, my mother-in-law, and my two sisters.

The most important people in the world are mothers – hands down, and I consider myself so incredibly fortunate to have my mom as my mom. The appreciation grows more and more all the time.

BUT, by a whisker, the second most important people in the world are dads, and, today being father’s day, I’ll take a few moments to chat briefly about my dad.

Like many lucky boys, I grew up with the feeling that my dad was some sort of super-hero. He was the guy that seemed capable of anything. He could fix a fence, paint a painting, or cook a mean chile. He could plant a garden, shingle a roof, and repair a truck, or bike. He could play the guitar, play the bag-pipes, and later play the violin. (Although, I must add that, as a teenager, I wasn’t such a fan of the bag-pipes, especially on Saturday mornings after I was out partying the night before!

My dad knew how to fish, and hunt and clean animals (although at heart he wasn’t a hunter, on account of deep respect for animals). He was also a wood-worker.

Having been the maritime champion in university, he knew about running, and athletics. And he knew about living a health lifestyle.

He could speak French, and even some Gaelic! He knew about history and sports. He knew about books and art. He knew about photography, politics, and prayer. And, having built one himself, he even knew about ham radio towers!

For a while, he was my school principal, and later he was an executive director of an organization that made a genuine difference in the lives of thousands of Albertans. (He continues to be a school trustee to this day).

I could go on and on, needless to say he was well-rounded and a man of many dimensions. (And still is!)

It is one thing to be in awe of your dad when you are 10, but it is another to still be in awe when you are 40.

Now that I am older, I am less in awe of what he can do and what he knows, than I am with who he is and who has always been – a wonderful human being with a warm heart and a gentle spirit. He is both kind and courageous - the best kind of leader and role model. Quietly humble, he never seeks the lime-light, nor to promote himself above others. If necessary, he is passionate about things that matter, yet he is always respectful of others and he consistently puts the best interest of others above his own.

Above all, he is the consummate family man – a great husband, father, and grandfather, and I remain most proud and grateful to call him my dad.

Being a father myself for the past seven years, there have been many-a-time that I have felt even more grateful for having had such an excellent father. He made it seem so easy!

Although I have absolutely no delusions of living up to his almost saint-like kindness, patience, and calm manner, I am fortunate for having such a fantastic role model and mentor.

Here are just a few photos from a slide show I recently created on the occasion of my dad’s 70th b-day. Happy father’s day “Jose”!