Today at lunch I sat and listened as my Dad told a story about playing a gig with Jimmy Buffett as his opener, decades ago before anybody knew who he was. Dad told Jimmy he didn't think he was going to get anywhere with those sea shanties. Years later when he and Jimmy spoke again, they laughed about it. I have never heard him tell this story before. I sat back and smiled, watching the gleam in his eye remembering the tale in detail, and enjoying the telling. Most people don't ever hear those stories from my Dad, and you'd never guess how many of them there are. So. Many. Stories. I imagine back in the "la-la days" (as my mom refers to them) when the oil and money flowed free in the late 70's and early 80's, he might have boasted about the who's who of his life. But that's not the guy I know. Cause here's the thing: Celebrities and big shots aside, I have never once doubted who the treasured people in his life are, and we know who he loves the most. He tells us in so many ways more than words, this gentle giant. He's the most generous man I know, and I'm still so proud to learn about life from him. I hope to inspire the people in my life the way he does, and someday maybe I'll be as good at spinning a yarn as he is. Happy Father's Day Daddy.