MEREDITH A. BROWN
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
I found myself smiling (and sometimes tearing up) while reviewing hundreds of "Father's Day" essays submitted by Hollywood grade school students.
The contest, sponsored by Hollywood's Dave & Busters and Hollywood Gazette, called for local elementary and junior high students to write a description or a memory of when the child's father positively impacted his/her life.
I thank all the students who participated and the parents and teachers who provided encouragement and time. As the editor, I got the privilege of reading the submissions.
The experiences I read about were what you would expect: fishing, bike riding, Disney World, help with homework. Then there were those kids who were refreshingly grateful for their Dads providing "a cozy home, and clothes to stay warm" or one recalled the tears on her Dad's face when she had broken her arm falling off the monkey bars. Whether the accounts were of picnics in the park or grocery store excursions, there was one recurring element to all of their stories. Time. It is a lesson for some and a reminder to others -- the most precious gift to any child of any demographic is time; time together.
If you don't take it from me, take it from the mouths of babes.
And to my Dad, I thank you for all the good times and for being there for the bad ones, too! -MAB
