Let’s face it, even when viewed through the most generous lens, not all fathers have done or are doing the most important job of their lives well. What kind of dad have you been? if you are one of the good guys who can honestly say you have done your best, that you have truly loved, supported, encouraged and nurtured …
OBSERVATION: If Your Dad is Gone.
If your dad is gone, what do you wish you could say to him that you didn’t? I hope you have warm sentiments to share and the thought of your father evokes genuine gratitude and sadness that he’s gone, but be honest. Not all dads were great. Even through
OBSERVATION: What if You Had a Bad Dad?
Some dad’s are/were genuinely great – worthy of praise and gratitude. Others were or are outright jerks or villains. Most fall somewhere between these extremes. How well you did in the dad lottery is something you had no influence on. If you got a good one, enjoy your good fortune and be grateful. If your father falls short
QUOTE & POSTER: Happy Father’s Day
One of the greatest things about daughters is how they adored you when they were little; how they rushed into your arms with electric delight and demanded that you watch everything they do and listen to everything they say. Those memories will help you through less joyous times when their adoration is replaced by embarrassment or annoyance and they don’t …
WORTH WATCHING: Father’s Day Videos
Touching Father’s Day Video’s Funny Father’s Day Video’s
COMMENTARY 832.1: Perfect Father’s Day Gift
When I was young, I idolized my father, judging him for his virtues. For most of the rest of my life, I criticized him, judging him for his faults. I always loved him, but I didn’t always appreciate him. I was so aware of his imperfections (surely, no worse than my own) that I greatly undervalued his good qualities and …
WORTH SEEING: My Daughter Abrielle
Okay, on Mothers Day I give all the credit to her mom, Anne, for her intelligence, talent and beauty, but I still think of this as a nice Dad’s moment: Daughter Abrielle was selected as the class speaker at her high school graduation. Look out world, another Josephson talker; and, last night, along with her writing partner Catherine, she won …
Memo from Michael: Bittersweet Moments of Fatherhood
When my four daughters were genuinely little girls, every milestone was a new source of joy and pride. Now that they are young women, there’s still great pride as they reach new stages of emancipation, but joy isn’t really the right word. To be honest, it feels more like sadness invoking all the clichés ever uttered about the bittersweet moments …
A Personal Note From Michael
It’s been an interesting and challenging couple of weeks with three major events taking place in my life: 1) I just returned from a 4-day trip to Hawaii. I was there to address the 4-H Western Regional Leadership Forum – about 300 staff, volunteer and student leaders of one of the oldest youth programs in the nation. 4-H has been …
Memo From Michael: Remembering Dr. Jerry Buss
Last week, the sports world lost one of its giants. A man who made his imprint not only on his team and his sport, but on those who worked with him and for him. Jerry Buss, the people that knew him best called him Dr. Buss, died at the age of 80 leaving behind an army of admirers. Buss was not …
Memo From Michael: The Loss of Daddyhood
I’ve written extensively about my children. I have five of them: four teenage girls and a son approaching 40 (impossible to believe). I’ve written less about them lately for several reasons: 1) they are not quite as cute; 2) they say really clever things less often; 3) they are much less interested in spending time with me. And, the biggest …
WORTH READING: Four interesting letters with divergent opinions on homosexuality.
Letter 1 Of course every person must be loved and respected but not every behavior/lifestyle must be and it is important to separate these 2 things. The fact that homosexuals are sometimes bullied or hated is very sad and unfortunate and reflects how we as a society still struggle with the concept of loving the sinner (we are all sinners) …
Memo From Michael: A Father-Daughter Adventure
I just returned from a nearly 3-week journey to Southeast Asia with my daughter Samara (a 19 year-old sophomore at NYU). It was an exceptional trip. We visited parts of the world I’d never been before – Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, Viet Nam and China (Hong Kong) and the exposure to the vast array of cultures and languages in this part …
COMMENTARY 806.2: Saying the Right Thing
When someone you care about is suffering greatly, what’s the right thing to say to make him or her feel better? There are all sorts of traumas that can send us to the darkest dungeons of despair – the death of a loved one, being raped, getting a divorce, losing a limb, seeing a child sent to jail or on …
Memo From Michael: Thoughts on Turning 70
I am approaching this last month of 2012 with optimism but a special eagerness to enter a completely new year, a blank canvas on which I hope to paint a grand mural of another year’s worth of challenges and successes. I confess that I have some trepidation approaching my 70th birthday (December 10) – that really, really sounds old to …
COMMENTARY 802.3: Appreciating a Parent’s Love
While window-shopping in New York City, I saw an old gold watch that reminded me of one my father gave me when I graduated from college. It had been engraved with the simple inscription “Love, Dad.” But it was stolen during a burglary years ago, and I hadn’t thought much of it or the inscription since. I always knew my …
COMMENTARY 794.3: The Yuppie Lifestyle and Satisfaction
T.S. Eliot said, “Half of the harm that is done in this world is due to people who want to feel important. They do not mean to do harm…they are absorbed in the endless struggle to think well of themselves.” How do we feel important? Often, it’s by trying to obtain an image of success created by a culture that …
COMMENTARY 790.2: Ramadan Kareem
Ramadan Kareem. Ramadan Mubarak. Kul ‘am wa enta bi-khair! (May every year find you in good health!) Please forgive my pronunciation, but I want to respectfully offer warm wishes and greetings to my Muslim brothers and sisters during the holy month of Ramadan. To those whose entire perspective of Islam and the Qur’an is shaped by fear and hatred of Muslim extremists …
COMMENTARY 787.2: Shopping Carts and Rationalizations
When we think about character, we tend to think about big things like taking risks, acting with integrity, displaying generosity, or exhibiting self-sacrifice. These noble choices indicate character, but for the most part, our character is revealed in much smaller events like apologizing when we’re wrong, giving to causes we believe in, being honest when it’s embarrassing, and returning shopping …
COMMENTARY 783.3: Noah’s Term Paper
Noah really needed an ‘A’ on a term paper. His friend Jason tells him that lots of kids “re-cycle” papers they don’t write and offers to give him a paper his older brother got an ‘A’ on three years ago. When Noah asked his for advice, his father hoped his son wouldn’t cheat but he didn’t want to be judgmental …
COMMENTARY 782.2: Borrowing One Hundred Dollars
Tim knew his father was an important lawyer who worked most nights and weekends. So he was disappointed but not surprised when his father didn’t attend the last soccer game of the season. That night he got up the nerve to interrupt his dad’s work to ask: “How much do lawyers make?” Annoyed, his father gruffly answered, “My clients pay …