Lord, thank you for today, for Father’s day and for my heritage. There are things about my Dad that I appreciate. I am grateful for his passion for things that make sense. Dad taught me to learn from everything. I appreciate his loyalty and his values. I am grateful for his doing what he thought was right. I’m glad he made the hard choices to take care of our family and provide for us. I appreciate his always trying to be himself and how I learned about the importance of character from him. He wasn’t perfect, but he was who he was. His sincerity and his transparency were strengths; what we saw was what we got. He was for justice and fairness and he was willing to stand up for what he thought was right. He taught me there is one person I’m responsible for, me, and there is always something I can do. Thank you for Jack Henry.
Thank you, too, for Bob Bland, Vicky’s Dad. He, too, models the importance of giving. He did what he needed to in order to provide for their family. He loves justice and would do whatever it took to help someone out. He believes the best in people, and quietly works for others’ success. He is a strong man of God, and was a role model for me with the strength of his faith. He worked hard, but also likes to play a bit with a quiet joke or a subtle jab at authority. He loves his family dearly and has given, and continues to give, to help us succeed. He is another model of sincerity and transparency too, less concerned about what others think, and more concerned that he do what he can to help.
Both men were quick to act. My Dad is no longer with us. His final years were marked by Alzheimer’s Disease. Vicky’s Dad is battling health and age issues. It is hard for him, and it was difficult for my Dad, not to be able to do what he used to. Each man made a mark in my life, as well as the lives of many others.
I’m grateful for how each of those men blessed me.
I’m also grateful for my son, Michael Henry Jr. and how he is handling the role of father. He works hard, shoulders the responsibility of parenting with energy and without complaining. Like his Grandfathers before him, he also is strong to do what needs to be done. He is working hard to raise and provide for his family, open to input but without avoiding responsibility. He is a strong man who, with his wonderful wife Ashley, are both changing the world and raising world changers. I’m proud of the man he has become and the investment he makes in his family and his world.
Mike Henry Sr. 