Senior Living

Still In This Together:

By Vicki Bahr

Father’s Day inspiration

It started fifteen months ago. Our Omaha son-in-law, Tim, was orchestrating a surprise visit for our daughter Katie, to fulfill her deepest wishes on Valentine’s Day 2020. So many behind-the-scenes texts to his parents to be sure they could help out with the boys’ sports practices and school pickups before he went any further with his plan. He also wanted to be sure we had no previous plans for the weekend before he booked a surprise flight for Katie to visit here for some overdue sister and nephew time.

Face time and messaging are wonderful, but just not the same, and mistakes in identifying which six-month-old twin was which just from online pictures were taking their toll.

“She just needs to hold them,” Tim said, “and she wants to play tiny Legos with Adler.” (Their four-year-old big brother).

Tim was willing to shepherd their own seven and 10-year-old boys to make that dream of Katie’s come true, and spoke with Aidan and Conor to be sure they were on board with the plan for their Mom to spend a whole weekend away from them. They were extremely enthusiastic, even before he offered them pizza two nights in a row and a trip to their favorite ice cream store, wanting to make a card for her Valentine surprise, with their names prominently displayed, of course. They know their Mom’s heart, too, and wanted to share in making her happy with a trip home. They’ve been taught well, and shown how important it is to think about others. I can’t wait to watch them as they grow up and share those values with their future spouses.

But COVID happened, and the trip never did. Until two weekends ago. Tim worked the flight schedules once again, consulted with his parents again, typed out sheets of instructions to himself to be sure the boys’ baseball tournaments and final days of school, cold lunches to be packed for field day and teacher thank you notes were all in order. The twins are now closing in on two, their big brother nearing six, and need to hold them was more important than ever. There were four days of tears, and endless hugs and nonstop Lego building, family gatherings and pictures, and more memories than time will ever dim.

And just before Father’s Day, we have more proof of the kind of husband and father this man is. Happy Father’s Day to Tim, to Kevin, his own father and mentor, and to all the other wonderful Dads out there.

You are inspirational.

Vicki Bahr is an inveterate word lover and story sharer, a published author in magazine, newspaper and blog forms. As a mom of four, grandma of nine, and wife of one for nearly 49 years, she finds that inspiration and wonder are everywhere.

The opinions expressed in this column are the columnist’s alone and do not reflect the opinion of the owners or staff of Community News. www.SeniorsHelpingSeniors.com/StLouisCentral

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