One of my favorite movies is “The Wizard of Oz”. You know where Dorothy and these three derelicks follow a yellow brick road in search of a trip back to Kansas, a brain, a heart, and some courage. Then in the end they all discover they had those things all along. What a lame plot. It takes two hours to tell the story and mid-way through, somebody finds the technicolor button. Come on! Who would watch such drivel? The answer is almost everybody because we all yearn for something. It is heartwarming to see the “Oz” characters achieve their “yearnings”. It also keeps the kids quiet on Saturday morning if you pop in the video.
My favorite son Paul, much like the “straw man” has been in quest of a diploma for a long, long, long time. The truth is he has always had the intellectual ability to succeed but he has needed to be formally acknowledged. Well, 32.88 years after he was born, Paul will march across the UW-Milwaukee stage on Sunday afternoon and receive his BS degree in Economics and Communication. I think I got the degree right. I know I got the BS right.
I have received lots of advice over the years on how to raise Paul. Be tough. Make him get a job. Quit bailing him out of different situations. Stop giving him money. I have news for you Grasshoppers. When kids reach a certain point in life, you lose control. The truth is I couldn’t make Paul do anything. Paul had to do it for himself.
I think for Paul, the reality of a degree opening doors came when he and Jenny moved back to Wisconsin from Minnesota. He needed to figure out a way to keep improving his skills and that meant going to school. He perfected his study skills, experienced a few successes and was on his way. He will tell you there is a universal way to solve problems, all problems and it has worked for him.
I know many of you believe that things are meant to be and will play out in their own predestined way. Maybe the years spent going to school allowed Paul to play Mr. Mom and get closer to Dominic and Tommy? Maybe his self-taught cooking ventures will inspire him to invent an indoor cooking grill? Maybe it brought him and Jenny closer? Stay tuned, it will play out.
I am going to miss the golf dates during the week, the daily blogs, and the endless questions.
As a dad I am very proud of Paul. He has achieved because of a dogged persistance for to get his degree. I know there were many moments of self doubt and I have to believe Jenny is thinking “finally”! But, you did it Paul. So I will be there on Sunday as your brother takes center stage. I will applaud the loudest. He is my son.
Love,
Dad