Father's Day Reflections

I have alot to be thankful for

Rus Kinzinger was, and is, my inspiration for what it means to be a father, a citizen, and a man. I don’t want this week to pass without recognizing him and saying thank you.

It is unfair, I think, that Father’s Day is a second-place holiday compared with Mother’s Day. Don’t get me wrong. My mom, and all moms, deserve all the love and credit in the world. But I think that we men, especially, should acknowledge our dads as our role models.

In my case, I was raised by a father who deftly guided, and disciplined me, as I grew from a rather serious little boy into a bit of a wild child. He modeled a serious approach to faith but in ways that acknowledged individual conscience and personal responsibility.  

When I was about ten years old my dad was there for me when I staged a bit of a rebellion against the church dress code, wearing shorts on a summer amusement park outing when the dress code forbade it. When I was in high school his disapproval was enough to end my (underage) experiment with alcohol.     

Christian responsibility? My father was a walking example of someone who devoted much of his life to service to the homeless and the poor.  It wasn’t all about charity for him. As head of the Home Sweet Home Mission, he helped countless people stabilize their lives, connect with jobs, and get free of addiction. However, he never lost sight of the need for human dignity and created stores where clothing, home furnishings, and other necessities were sold to people on a pay-what-you-can basis.  As he understood, paying something, anything, beats a handout every time.

Rus Kinzinger’s idea of service included a commitment to politics where he promoted a practical, responsible, and moral approach to governing. He was what Mike Pence once described as a Republican but not someone who is angry about it.  When I was 12, he took me to a national political action conference. When I was 24, he made me the manager of his campaign for the state senate.

In that campaign, my father recalled his upbringing on a family farm and championed the rural communities in the district.  I admired his refusal to play dirty, even when his opponent did. In losing he showed more grace than any defeated candidate I’ve ever seen. As I got involved in local politics, and eventually ran for Congress, he was my closest advisor. He kept me focused on basic values, which helped me win every time.

In addition to his example as a man devoted to others, my father continuously showed me that if love doesn’t conquer all, it certainly soothes the pain that comes at certain points in life. When I broke from the Republican Party, calling out Donald Trump for his abuse of power and his chaotic and divisive behavior, some in our extended family, and many in our community, sent me hate-filled messages, calling me a traitor and worse. I never doubted that my dad had my back, and he did.

My father’s example makes it easy for me to love my son Christian as he enters toddlerhood, which can be a trying time. I take joy in the time I spend with him, and I hope that like me, he will always know that his father loves him.

And so we have Father’s Day, a moment that calls attention to the men who raised us. I consider it a time to remember what he did and continues to do for me and to express my love and admiration for him.  

 I love you, dad.