A big reason why Tim Walz has won me over, BIG time

[Siwsan]

He reminds me of my Dad.

My Dad was a veteran, a teacher and a championship winning football coach. He, like Tim, was revered by his players, long after they left high school. They'd call him and say 'Hey, Coach. Wanna join us for a beer?' Then they'd stop by and pick him up. This continued until Dad's health took a sharp downturn.

Those that attended his funeral were in tears. He was their mentor and, in some cases, a father figure. Someone they knew they could rely on.

AND he was the best neighbor, ever. The people who lived in the neighborhood knew that dad, a jack of MANY trades, could always be called upon if they needed help.

Kind of sounds like Tim, don't you think?

Dad and I were very close so I see some of myself in his kids. He was the parent who showed me unconditional love. He was proud of me and was always there for the 'big moments' in my life, like sitting through all of my high school performances on stage, INCLUDING dress rehearsal. He attended my graduation from Navy boot camp. He was so proud of my service, even though I chose the Navy instead of the Marine Corps. He was a Marine until the day he died. We used to sit beneath the branches of his 'air conditioned tree', sipping on Manhattans and talking about our service.

25 years ago, Tuesday, my Dad died. I was with him. I'm convinced he waited until my mom and sister had left. The very last words he spoke were to me. The very last person he reached out to touch was me.

I see so much of my Dad in Tim and while it triggers some tears, it also fills me with confidence that Tim will be a stellar VP.

[brewens]

1. He's The Coach! I loved seeing his old players. They will call him coach even if he's President. That's the way

it works. If the Pope had coached, his players would call him Coach Pope.

[Siwsan]

3. Good coaches are very special people

My Dad had a reputation for visiting the competitions locker room when they beat his team to congratulate them on a game well played and won. I've met a couple of players from those teams who still talked about my Dad, years after the encounter. One of them 'crashed' my Dad's retirement party. Well, he was a circuit court judge, so who was going to stop him? He just wanted to thank my Dad for that experience. He also attended Dad's funeral.

[Clash City Rocker]

2. He's the dad most of us wish we had

Link to tweet

[Siwsan]

4. Perfect!

[niyad]

7. And we know he would!

[COL Mustard]

18. He's what

“Coach” Tuberville wishes he could be.

Interesting that every line of attack the Republicans have tried has fallen flat.

[haele]

5. My dad was like that.

He always had a full automotive and home repair work shop in the garage, whether we were renting or finally owned the house. We were a one-car family, because there was no way we could fit more than one car in a two-car garage; in some houses, the car stayed in the driveway.
He coached soccer and wrestling, taught high school history and computer science (including the advanced courses), and retired from the Navy Reserves as a Chief.
He learned to pace himself, and grew up with time, time to rest, time to be curious. Time to complete tasks and then work on the next one. I'm not sure that all these "time saving" devices we have and the constant hammering to perform at the 100% level as a part of a scene (any scene), is really helpful in developing a sense of competency in men and women.

Ya, I can easily see Tim Walz and my dad sitting next to the minivan or Scout after replacing the clutch or a head gasket with beers talking about all sorts of subjects for hours until Mom yells at them " Is he staying for dinner? I need to call Gwen if he's staying...."

Haele

[niyad]

9. Smiles!!!

[70sEraVet]

6. Thanks for telling the story of your dad.

And I'm so glad that we have such people in the Democratic party -- people who have the qualities that we for in our leaders.

[niyad]

8. Awwww, Siwsan, thank you so much for sharing a bit of your Dad with us.

huggggggs

[Fla Dem]

10. Wonderful tribute to your Dad.

[MaryMagdaline]

11. Beautiful!

What a great human being. 💕

[JoeOtterbein]

12. K n R with....

....tears.

[Doodles]

13. Lovely

Your tribute made me get teary-eyed all over again. Our hearts have been won by Tim and good men and women everywhere who support & embrace everyone.

[Doodles]

14. Lovely

What a lovely tribute, Siwsan. Got me all teary-eyed again. Tim has won our hearts because he reminds us of great men and women we know who support and embrace everyone.

[malaise]

15. Great OP

Rec

[Blue Owl]

16. K&R

Thanks for sharing that!

You were very blessed to have a dad like Tim Walz....

[LiberalFighter]

17. Looks like Walz is someone a lot can relate to.

There are a lot more coaches than any other occupation an elected official identifies with.

[CaptainTruth]

19. A beautiful post, thank you for sharing it.

[robleb]

20. YOUR ASSIGNMENT TODAY

[Sparkly]

21. Your Dad had a LOT in common with Walz!!

Most of us weren't as fortunate to have the ideal Dad, and I envy you.

We're probably of the same generation. Some Dads were good people, maybe adequate parents, but struggled to fit the perfect model. I only know that things were very complicated when I was a kid.

[Siwsan]

22. He balanced the parenting in our family

While he and my mother were 'lock step' in many ways, as I grew older I realized that while I had a great Dad and Father, my Mother was a good mother but wasn't a particularly good 'mom' and there are times you really need a mom. I got that kind of time and advice from a friend's mom because I learned confiding in mine wasn't a good idea. She wasn't particularly empathetic or understanding. It was her way or the highway, literally.

She never liked or understood my need for independence and lack of a desire to settle down and have a family. Oddly enough, even when she had Alzheimer's, she always knew who I was when everyone else was lost to her. About 6 months before she died, her neurologist asked her 2 questions: If she knew who I was, and she immediately said 'She's my daughter, and if she knew who was President. Her response was, 'He has a funny name and I didn't vote for him but he's a black guy.' Funny the things she remembered.

Fortunately, she was a fantastic grandmother. I loved watching her around my niece and nephews.

She once told me that she wanted a boy when I was born. I inconveniently made my entrance in the immediate aftermath of a category 5 tornado and apparently my birth 'tipped' her uterus and it was 4 years before she conceived again. My bad.