Bittersweet holiday number 2

I’ve previously talked about the 2002 TV show “Birds of Prey”.  I'm well aware that this show has its flaws, but I still enjoy it for a lot of reasons.  One of those reasons is Dinah Meyer's portrayal of the character of Barbara Gordon A.K.A. Oracle.  She is spot on.

In an episode entitled “Lady Shiva” Barbara comments to Alfred that she is no longer the hero that she once was (meaning she is no longer Batgirl, thanks to a bullet from the Joker).  Alfred surprises Barbara by responding, “Thank goodness.”  He explains, “Batgirl was strong, but impetuous.”  He goes on to speak about how she has matured since those Batgirl days; she now had, as he put it, “a capacity to care more for others than you do for yourself.  Now if that’s not a hero I don’t know what is.”

The reason I’m bringing this up is because today is another bittersweet day.  Today would have been my dad’s 61st birthday.  As I was thinking about how to honor his memory on this day, one of the things that came to my mind was Alfred’s apt description of a hero.  Let me quote it once again; he said a hero is someone who has “a capacity to care more for others than you do for yourself.”  My dad did that.  He rarely took time for himself because he was so focused on the needs of others.  My father was clearly a hero in every sense of the word.

Dad, on this special birthday blog, I want to tell you that we can feel your absence.  We see afresh everything that you did for your family, friends, and coworkers.  Your unexpected homecoming has created a void, and a hole in our hearts.  We miss you.  I miss you.  But I know that I will see you again one day in Heaven.  Until then, in the strength of the Lord, I will press on.

Kevin