1 of 1

Hey Dad,

Northern Indiana is gorgeous. The weather is warm, the sky is blue, and the trees are bursting into color. I love this time of year-the crisp temperatures, the smell of burning leaves, hayrides, and campfires.

The only problem with the season is that it is way too short. Whereas summer and winter stretch on for months, autumn sprints past. One day the leaves start to change, and the next thing you know the trees are bare and…it's CHRISTMAS!

For dads, the season is even shorter. I mean, summer was great. If I forgot to catch lightning bugs with my kids in June, I still had July AND August. There were four glorious months to procrastinate. Not so with fall.

There are leaf forts to make, pumpkins to pick, and bulbs to plant. It all has to happen in the next few weeks. If for some reason I'm feeling exceptionally lazy or put out, I'll miss my chance.

Even this morning, I noticed more leaves on the ground. It's only a matter of time before the kids ask to make a jumping pile. Boy, you should have seen the leaf forts and piles I used to make as a kid. What am I saying? You made them too. We dads need to pass on those trade secrets to the next generation of leaf jumpers.

Three weeks max. That's it! If we don't do it now, we won't get another chance this year…who knows, we may not get another chance—ever.

I know my kids have been asking about getting some pumpkins. Like any father worth his salt, I've put them off with the pat answer, "We'll do that soon." Well, you know what? Soon isn't good enough.

I need to get off my derrière, load the kids in the van, and head over to the local pumpkin patch. I need to pop for a couple glasses of apple cider or caramel apples. I need to get out the rakes and help the kids make the biggest, whoppin' leaf pile in Northern Indiana. I need to stuff scratchy leaves down their shirts and let them do the same to me. I need to walk with them through crunchy leaves and sit around a campfire singing songs.

I need to do all those things…YOU need to do all those things…and we've only got about three weeks to do it.

So…on your marks, get set, GO!

You 'da dad!

©Copyright Todd Wilson, 2003. Used by permission.

 1 of 1

share this page

				Try an Issue of Men of Integrity Free! Name Street Address City/State/Zip E-mail Address No credit card required. Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery. Offer valid in U.S. only. Click here for International orders. If you decide you want to keep Men of Integrity coming, honor your invoice for just $19.95 and receive five more issues, a full year in all. If not, simply write "cancel" across the invoice and return it. The trial issue is yours to keep, regardless. Give Men of Integrity as a gift Buy 1 gift subscription, get 1 FREE!

FREE Newsletter Sign up for the Men of Integrity Newsletter    RSS Feed   RSS Help