cailyn and i are currently spending some time in indiana, and we spent some time last night with my dad's brother and sister. my dad's brother (my uncle), mike, was talking about a book he would love to write called The Last Howard. and it was absolutely fascinating to hear.
first...a bit of back story about mike.
my grandfather, his dad, passed away when he was around 10 years old...so he grew up most of his life without a dad. and when he was around 14 years old, he met this guy named howard at a high school basketball game. and howard, who was 65 years old at the time, took mike, and one of his other friends, under his wing.
so, apparently, over the next three years, howard took mike and his friend on numerous road trips, ranging from a weekend to two weeks, and all centered around baseball games. howard was actually a cab driver, and they would drive his brand new checkered cab on these trips. not only was the cab their mode of transportation, but it was also often their hotel for the night.
mike talked fondly about numerous memories.
about going to the astrodome, just after it had been built. they went to a Yankees game in new york...where mike caught a foul ball. and the list just seemed to go on and on. it was incredibly apparent that this guy made an enormous impact on mike's life and left memories that are literally lasting a lifetime.
but why The Last Howard? because unfortunately, in our culture today, it would be almost unheard of for a guy of his age to be allowed to go on a road trip with a couple of young boys. i don't know what exactly that could or should look like in our culture today...but what i know for sure...
WE NEED MORE HOWARDS IN OUR WORLD!!
Thanks Howard for who you were, for what you did, and for what you represented!
