When I was a child growing up in Michigan, both of my parents were teachers and had that time off. The Dungy family did a lot together during those months, and it was wonderful-especially when I got to go fishing with my dad.
On one fishing outing with him and my brother, my dad was teaching us how to cast. Very calmly he told us to be sure no one was around us when we let our line go. As he was saying this I realized that my brother had hooked my dad in the ear! The hook came out, but the memory of that day stayed in my mind.
This summer, I hope to spend extra time with my children. During my coaching days my job required my attention year-round, this year will obviously be different. I also want to give my wife Lauren some extra help while the kids are out of school. She’s had to do a lot of parenting on her own while I was in the NFL, and though I always tried to tell her how much I appreciated her extra efforts, this summer I can show her.
So I hope you have at least a few carefree days this summer to make memories with your children-just remember though, if you do go fishing, look around before you cast.
I was coaching, I did my best to encourage my players to make wise choices about what they chose to expose themselves to in all areas of their lives. In my own home, I try to be mindful of the impact of media exposure on my children.
I was in Indianapolis earlier this month for Tyndale Publishing House, publisher of my books, Quiet Strength and Uncommon. They held a contest where people sent in essays about “Uncommon” heroes in their lives. The winning “heroes” joined me in Indianapolis for a service project. We chose to go to Riley Hospital for Children and deliver baskets for Basket of Hope.
We had a wonderful time and I got to meet two tremendous high school coaches from Louisiana: Dutton Wall and Roy Serie. They coach at rival high schools but have changed their town’s attitude about competition by the way their teams respect each other and support each other in the big game.
The other winner was Scott Wedel, a father from Nebraska, who was nominated by his daughter because of how he leads his family, even while working multiple jobs.
It was a great blessing to me to meet these three Uncommon men.
Tony with Tyndale Uncommon contest winners in Indy
Tony with AJ, a cancer patient at Riley Children's Hospital in Indy
June 21, 2009 was Father’s Day, and also my parents’ wedding anniversary. So this was an even more special Father’s Day because it reminded me that this was the day, 56 years ago, that my family actually began.
This year, we didn’t do anything unique as a family, but we did some things that we all enjoy and that’s what made it great. We went to church and the message was centered on fathers. Pastor Singletary had a large vase of water at the altar and he asked everyone to come up front and, thinking of your father, place a pebble in the water. As everyone got through, you saw all these pebbles that were at the bottom of the vase, representing a foundation that our dads had given us. It was very meaningful to me, as Lauren and I had just come back from our trip to Yellowstone National Park. While we were there we commented on how we wished we had been able to take our dads on that trip. Both of them enjoyed the outdoors so much – they would have loved it. So often though, we take those things for granted, feeling our loved ones will always be with us. Both of our dads have passed away, but the moment made us promise to do more with our relatives – older and younger family members. We need to maximize the opportunities while we have them with us.
After church, my family took me to Cracker Barrel and we had a fun dinner. Our kids enjoy going through the gift shop, playing with the oversized checkers and sitting on the rocking chairs. After that, we went home and swam in the pool while the kids helped Lauren make strawberry shortcake for me. It was nothing fancy, but just fun family time. The very thing we both remember doing with our dads.
That’s probably the biggest message that All Pro Dad tries to point out – time with your kids is so important. It doesn’t have to be special, spectacular things. Most of the time, in fact, it will be pretty routine. But those are the things that memories are built on, and the times that I remember most about my dad – playing catch in the yard, going to Northlawn Gardens in Jackson and feeding the ducks, driving to get ice cream; simple things, but they leave lasting memories. And that’s what we did today.
Me with my parents, CleoMae and Wilbur Dungy, in 1996.
My father, Wilbur Dungy, passed in 2004. He was a teacher, a scientist, and my friend. I still miss him, and still appreciate him so much for the things he taught me, the way he raised me, and the time he spent with me.
My father was a man of God, and someone I strive to emulate every day.
As Lauren and I were winding down on Tuesday night, we were trying to come up with the right word to describe what we are experiencing here at Yellowstone. Lauren came up with “majestic” – as used in Psalm chapter eight.“Majestic,” David says in the Psalm. “Oh, Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth.”
God created everything, and with all the majesty and beauty of the world, God still has time to think about man and put us in charge of everything he’s made.
That’s what we have felt so powerfully since we’ve been here. The sights have been beautiful – things that it’s obvious no human hand could ever create. But the people have been special too. Everyone is enjoying themselves, everyone is polite, friendly and helpful – staff and visitors alike.
You certainly see God’s majesty here, but we’re also seeing man’s good side. It has been a great experience and we’ve got one more day to enjoy it.
We had a great day yesterday. We saw plenty of elk and bison, as well as some beautiful scenery. The waterfalls were very impressive; so much power! We also saw the geysers and hot springs, and we’re off to see Old Faithful today.
We got up early this morning and saw four wolves and two grizzlies but didn’t get close enough for pictures (that’s probably a good thing!).
Amazingly, we’ve seen a lot of Colts fans and met a couple from Tampa this morning. Everyone has been helpful and so friendly.
Here are a few pictures. The first one is of Lauren at Upper Falls.
Lauren and I arrived Sunday at Yellowstone National Park. We’re vacationing with three other couples; it’s something we’ve talked about doing for years, and we are finally getting the chance.
We flew from Tampa into Bozeman, Montana, and drove from Bozeman to the north entrance of Yellowstone. The drive was incredible. There was so much to see and the landscape is so different from ours – it is green and so wide open. The ranches are huge and it was amazing to see cattle grazing for miles at a time.
The park itself is spectacular. There is a little bit of everything – mountains, water, wildlife, and a great deal of natural beauty. We took the scenic route to our cabin in Canyon Lodge, Wyoming. It was 72 degrees at the entrance, and by the time we got to the cabin we had experienced 40 degree temperatures in the mountains. (We actually drove through some standing snow!) We saw plenty of wildlife in the park – bears, elk, deer and some incredible scenery. This morning we’re going to a waterfall that is supposed to be larger than Niagara Falls. In the afternoon we’ll be horseback riding and looking for more wildlife to photograph.
What has really struck me in the few hours we’ve been here is just how awesome God has to be to create this. It is so large, so diverse and so breathtaking it’s hard to even imagine how the Lord did it. You realize there’s no way man could possibly duplicate what you’re seeing. We didn’t bring our kids with us this time, but we’ve already decided we want to come back with them. It will give them a chance to see the handiwork of the God we’ve tried to tell them about.
Here is a picture of the North Entrance to Yellowstone National Park.
