I can only imagine what my daughter Chloe is thinking in this photograph, which was taken 25 years ago today: “Who is this guy and why does he bounce me around like I’m a football? I like hugs and kisses and cute little conversations, the kind Mom and her friends have with me. But he talks to me about how one day I will ride bikes and do back flips and climb trees just for the sake of adventure. Does he know how to raise a little girl? Help!”
You can see from the look on my face I am proud as punch to call her my own, but what I was thinking that day might not seem so clear: “Why did God entrust me to be the father of this beautiful little girl? I don’t know the names of all the Disney princesses. I don’t know who Hannah Montana is. All I know is I want her to be strong and independent, so when talking to her I will use all these sports metaphors I’ve collected through the years. That's all I know! What do I do when she wants to play Barbies with me? What do I say when she wants to which Olsen twin is Kate and the other one is Ashley? Help!”
…
WE WERE TALKING on the phone Friday morning as she was on her way to the law firm where she works and I was on my way to the Court. It was the same kind of talk we had when she was away at Ohio State or driving back and forth to law school.
Is success defined in never having setbacks? No, it’s getting back up when you’ve been knocked down.
Are you doing what you love to do? If so, there is no need to be afraid.
Her office is about to launch a new second location, this one in Centerville, and there are the inevitable questions that go with it. How will that go? How much time will she be there? What about business cards? What about staffing issues? Like her mother, Kim, and her boss, Nicole, Chloe is a strong and independent woman. She likes talking about the details of every situation.
I offer what I can, still in sports metaphors, of course. “Chloe, when Ohio State calls timeout midway through the first quarter against Nebraska tomorrow afternoon, they are not going to talk about what play they should run with it’s third-and-2 late in the fourth quarter.”
“Right. They’re going to talk about what they need to do right now,” she said.
“Exactly.”
“So we should just do what needs to be done right now. Stay focused in the moment. And everything will work out in the end.”
Atta’ girl. After all these years, it is clear she’s been listening. Soon she’ll be telling me the way things are.
…
IN 25 MORE YEARS, just after she is sworn in as a Justice on the United States Supreme Court, the roles will be completely reversed, and she and I will again pose for a picture. The look on her face will say this: "I call this wonderful man my dad and talk all the time about our lives together. I'm not sure he knows why we are here today, but it's still good having him here -- even if all he can remember is every single detail about his high school sports seasons and what all of his coaches said in 1978. It's remarkable, because he can't remember what he had for lunch just two hours ago. God love his soul. Help!”
