Happy Father's Day, all you dads out there. Chances are you've heard this Harry Chapin tune already, but it's a good bet that most of us can't hear it enough.
I number among the people who can't hear this song without shedding a tear or two.
So many of us rant and rave about what's wrong with kids today. Too much computer time. No appreciation or respect. A disregard for work ethic or morals. Etc. As though our parents and their parents, ad infinitum, didn't have the very same complaint.
But Chapin took a poem written by his wife Sandra, and when his own son was born, put it to music. And instead of focusing on the problem with the kid, it shows how easy it is for a father who, in the name of work, money, social life, whatever--forestalls time with his son, promising him he'll be there in the future. By the time the future arrives, the boy has learned the ways of his father, and is now too busy to spend time with his dad.
This is a great song, simple and singable. And it reminds us in a powerful way to pay attention to those nearest to us. They are the ones that matter most.
Happy Father's Day.
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