Ode to the Original Doctor Self

This special Father's Day entry deviates a bit from some of our typical clinical fare to pay tribute to the original Doctor Self (pictured above on the day of my med school graduation).

As I slowly inch closer to becoming a grown-up, my appreciation for my father and his exemplary life continues to expand.

The following list is a small sampling of the countless gifts I received from my Daddy... the original Doctor Self.

QUIET STRENGTH

My father was a man of few words. However, when he chose to speak, he was thoughtful and considerate in his communication.

"quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry" (James 1:19)

NO WHINING

I have no doubt that my father found no paucity of reasons to complain. For many years he was one of only two pediatricians in my hometown community of Springfield, TN. Consequently, he was on-call for after-hours calls from concerned parents as well as pediatric emergencies for roughly half of each year. He encountered many of the same frustrations that continue to plague physicians in an imperfect U.S. healthcare system (bureaucratic insanity, government healthcare payers, private insurance companies, patient and family expectations detached from reality, etc.). Yet, I can honestly not recall an occasion when I remember him complaining about any of it. He showed up day after day after day and sought to provide his patients with excellent care.

"Do everything without grumbling or arguing" (Phil. 2:14)

STEADFAST IN LOVE

My mother waged a multi-year battle with metastatic breast cancer. My father was at her side and supported her as best he could during this unimaginably challenging journey (from initial diagnosis and treatment- including surgery and chemo, to recurrence with mets to bones and brain, to her final breath in a hospital room in Nashville).

I had some sense of the toll this battle took on my mother as she was the patient undergoing treatment- the one losing her hair, ravaged by the effects of chemotherapeutic agents and their horrendous side effects, the one struck by worsening physical pain, weakness, and fatigue. Now, many years later, as a husband and father myself, I have a growing appreciation for the undeniable toll this process took on my father as well. Yet, he remained steadfast as they traversed this valley together.

PLAY HARD & LAUGH UNTIL YOU CRY

If orthopedic injuries sustained during leisure time can be used as a loose proxy for intensity of play, then my father played with surprising intensity. During my childhood, he broke two bones: fracturing his collarbone playing church softball, and breaking one of his fingers while chasing me around our home. He coupled this intensity of play with a love of laughter. I can count on one hand the occasions I witnessed my father cry due to sadness. Conversely, there were countless occasions in the context of family shenanigans and tickle fights that he laughed until tears of joy rolled down his round cheeks.

(pictured below attempting to give his mother "bunny ears"... as she returns the favor)

LOVE of GOD and NATURE

My father was a voracious reader. The book in which I witnessed him invest the most time was the Bible. He had a hunger to know God.

Not unrelated to my father's love of his Creator was his great appreciation for creation. He was a lover of nature and its beauty. I can recall occasions when he would prepare popcorn... and invite us to sit on our front porch to witness the sublime power of a thunderstorm.

Later in life he took up nature photography as a hobby. I have included one of his many photos capturing nature's beauty below.

I was incredibly fortunate and exceedingly blessed to be raised by a father such as my Daddy... the original Dr. Self.

Here's to all the fathers striving to lead lives and impart legacies that echo into eternity.