Ed Hamann

I tell people I write this blog for Elijah and Luca.  That’s true.  But what’s also true is I write this blog for my dad.  This whole thing is a tribute to the man I believe is the best dad on the face of the earth. 

Everything I learned about being a good dad I learned from him.  My kindness is his kindness.  My warmth is his warmth.  Every corny joke, every whispered declaration of love is me simply trying to do my best Ed Hamann impersonation.

Which makes it all the more painful that we lost him last night.

Dad fought off a vicious and cruel form of cancer bravely, but with humor and humility.  He seemed to care more about how it was affected us, because it simply didn’t occur to him to think about himself.  I can’t help but think the reason he went so quickly was because he couldn’t bear to let us suffer through the awful, deteriorating road that lay ahead.

We were with him last night, and even in the last moments when he was almost gone, we laughed and joked and even poked fun at him, which is how he would have wanted it.  I feel lucky to have been there with his brothers in law, his sister in law, daughter in law, his sons and his wife Connie.

Oh Connie.  Calling you my step mom is such an insult.  You are the best mom anyone could ever ask for.  And I’m so happy to have you in our lives.  

I’m going to stumble on now, being a dad the same way I always do.  Trying to answer the question, “What would Ed Hamann do in this situation?”

The answer right now is to go hug my sons.