Happy 74th Birthday Dad, You will always be my Hero
Today would have been my father’s 74th Birthday. My father was my hero and the best coach I have ever known. I may be a little bias, but those that knew him, I believe would validate my statement that he was an amazing man and coach. Dad was not given the opportunity to become a high school or college coach. He moved in with his high school coach as a result of not knowing his father and because his mother was struggling with making poor decisions. His high school basketball team went to the state tournament, but his knee was taken out on a punt return in football, thus any opportunity to pursue basketball in college was gone. Instead he was on his own after high school. Once he met and married my mother, in order to provide her, my sister and me, dad became a brick mason. Dad always found a way to be the best at whatever he did.
If he went into construction, then how could he be the best coach I ever knew? You see, dad coached because it was in his blood, it was his passion, and it was what brought him joy. After working hard all day long, he coached and played both basketball and softball on men’s teams four to five nights a week. He also coached my elementary school team as well. I once heard, “You find out if you truly love something, if you pursue it with all your heart, even when you are not paid a penny.”
He won his final game in 2011. It was the game of life and my father, David Bostwick, entered Heaven’s Gates. Those that have yet to meet our Jesus and accept Him as their Lord and Savior, might wonder how losing your life to cancer could result in winning your final contest. What should have caused my family devastation, when cancer took my father’s life, instead brought us both peace and joy. How? Because our family knew without a shadow of a doubt where my father went after breathing his final breath on this earth. Instead of allowing satan to bring anger and frustration to our lives, we celebrated the life of one of the greatest hero’s I have ever known.
Take a moment and Click this Link to listen to my father’s powerful advice to my team that he gave just before going to heaven.
I ran the clock as dad ran the church basketball league, coached our church team, while also playing the Point Guard on the team. He always played with an old knee brace and his knee often would swell up, but his love and passion for competing seemed to make it worth the pain he had to endure. He also coached and played on a team that traveled and played in local tournaments. He did the same during softball season. His softball team was one of the top slow pitch softball teams in the region once qualifying for a national tournament in the Astrodome. I used to stand behind the fence and catch home runs to save the good balls or to get rid of any doctored balls opponents might be using to cheat. To me a night at the gym or a night at the softball field was Disney World.
Not sure if coaching was passed on to me genetically or if I fell in love with the desire to coach because I enjoyed so much watching my father coach. Either way it became my dream. The only other place that I was able to spend quality time with Dad was when he took me fishing. For as long as I can remember, I had a dream of coaching. My dad provided an amazing example of what a great coach looked like.
Dad was a Clint Eastwood type. A man of few words, but when he spoke people listened. He gained respect of his players, somewhat naturally, but also because of how he treated them. Much like how he approached his job. Dad was a foreman for a contractor, his position placed him over a number of men. He mostly built large buildings like the Phillips Petroleum headquarters in Bartlesville, OK. Some construction workers are pretty rough around the edges, but i never saw a single worker disrespect him. Dad always looked out for his workers, placing them ahead of himself. He never cheated his contractor by leaving early or allowing his crew to work slowly. I worked for him in the summers, while in college, and I learned many valuable principles and details that have become pillars in my life. Those and the many things I learned while watching him coach, became the principles that my coaching career was built on. These principles always aligned with the word of God.
Not only did I admire his leadership skill, but I soaked in so many valuable lessons during those early stage of my life. Dad became a strong man of faith after God saved his bookie. A miracle that wiped out a big debt that he could not pay. From then on Dad went to church with my mother, my sister and me. I never heard him curse, nor did I hear him complain about having to work so hard driving up to three hours a day to work and home. I still hear him encouraging me as I coach today. He was a perfectionist and always expressed to me the importance of details and the little things. My dad never missed a day of work and as a result, I did not miss a day of school the first nine years of my education. Dad would share with me the importance of outworking your opponent and let me know that he did not have the connections or resources to help me reach my dreams. He said nobody from our family has ever even went to college or been given the opportunity to chase their dreams. Dad was set on helping me change that!
He pushed me harder than I thought I could go. He was not the best of telling me he was proud of me, until late in life, but he could motivate me like nobody else could do. He would tell me that the only way I could reach my dreams was to outwork everyone and have strong faith in Jesus. I spent many of nights crying myself asleep thinking that I was coming up short on pleasing him, but what I failed to understand was Dad, like my heavenly father, had bigger plans for me than I could even dream. He never crossed the line when it came to pushing me, but there were nights when I wished I could tried the easy road that most athletes I knew were on. Those same athletes usually depended on their athleticism or their parents money or position in town to get an opportunity. Dad placed a burning desire in me to rise above any obstacle standing in my way. He knew my faith was strong and that with God on my side and a strong work ethic anything was possible.
I am guessing many of your father’s were like my dad and this blog brings back some fond memories. For others maybe it was your mom, uncle, or your coach that filled that role of hero, mentor, teacher, and father in your life. It really does not matter who filled that vital role, instead it is time for you to repay them by becoming that same light to whoever God gives you influence over.
Dad I miss you, but I know you are looking down smiling at what God has helped me accomplish thus far in my life. Happy 74th Birthday and thank you for everything you did for me, while on earth. Now that I am a husband and father, I realize the sacrifice you made to help me reach my dreams. You were an amazing example and role model for me.
I love you. Donnie!