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Yesterday I celebrated my very first father’s day. It did not turn out the way I had envisioned it.

When I imagined how I would spend my first Father’s Day, I saw myself sleeping late, pigging out, and lounging on my couch all day. However, life has way of showing us that our focus is misaligned.

The Saturday before Father’s Day Amelia got a fever. Attributing it to teething, we treated it with Tylenol and assumed it would run its course after a few hours. But as Amelia woke throughout the night – screaming and thrashing – I began to get more and more concerned. By morning, her fever had risen and she was miserable.

KT tried her best to handle the MANY tear-filled wakeups that night – urging me to go back to sleep so I could be well rested for Father’s Day – but it was too late for that. I had already far too concerned to sleep. I have pulled many all-nighters in my time at various times and for various reasons but none were ever as important as this so I knew I would be able to stay awake for as long as Amelia needed me.

When morning arrived, Amelia was no better so we canceled all our other Father’s Day plans and struck out for the doctor’s office. Unfortunately, my relief at having a doctor look over Amelia was not shared by my daughter, who wanted nothing to do with the doctor montrer. Her fever was up to 103, she hadn’t eaten all day, she was cranky and uncomfortable, and now the doctor was pinning her down as he examined her. KT and I tried our best to soothe Amelia but she was practically inconsolable as the doc probed her ears, throat, and mouth.

It was then, as Amelia lay on the paper-covered examining table staring up at me with tears in her eyes and pleading with me to pick her up and save her from this torture that I realized the real meaning of Father’s Day.

See, I was looking at Father’s Day as a day to reward me for being a dad. But I should not look at it as a day to congratulate myself. Rather, I will use the day as a reminder of the great responsibility I have – and will have forever – now that I am a dad.

So, yes I spent my first Father’s Day with a screaming child in a doctor’s office. But did I have a good Father’s Day?

YES! The best. I felt love, appreciation and togetherness with my family. I couldn’t wish for anything more.