The Best Gift Idea Ever - Time.

Wednesday morning on the show my partner Shannon made mention that her boys and their dad went to Quicken Loans Arena, and watched Lebron and Larry Hughes and the Cavaliers dismantle the Indiana Pacers 118-105. I gathered there was much enthusiasm from the witnesses in the post-game comments to her, and it sounded like everyone had a great time. How fun for them! She didn't know it at the time, but that short story set my memory back on it's heels almost immediately. Not in a negative way at all, but I did stammer for a minute or two.

December 25, 1977. That day was the last day my dad was ever home. He had fought a short battle with cancer that spread like wildfire through him. Things are different today. In those days, there was diagnosis, chemo, radiation, then you died. And he did April 11, 1978. I was 16. I hadn't thought of this in a long time, but I remember vividly going to many Cavaliers games at the Coliseum with my dad! Many on short notice. I can still hear him, "Hey why don't you and I sneak off to see the Cav's tonight!" And we did. Many times in fact. You know he used to take me to opening day with the Indians at the old stadium, and that was fun. But for some reason the Cav's games were days of gold to me.

Come to think of it, my dad and I did a lot of "sneaking off" in those days. Bob Evans, Cav's games, Indians games. Sometimes we'd just drive around in the summer and listen to the Tribe games on the radio. Just the two us. Man, am I lucky. Lucky to have those memories. And until this morning, I hadn't forgotten them, just hadn't pulled them up in a while. Lucky me that I did!

I remember after my dad died, I lost interest in many things that had been important to me before. I think that's normal. I wanted to play football for the University of Nebraska. That was my immediate plan. I have no idea why Nebraska, but I did. My dad used to come watch me play on the fields of Roehm Jr. High and Berea High School, and that too is burned in my memory. Afterwards we'd analyze the game I just played over a Brown Derby steak, another place we'd sneak off to from time to time. Some of this stuff happened so long ago, I'm amazed it is all so vivid to me still, but it is. It really got me thinking.

Christmas time is here, and we're all out looking for the "must have" gifts. Lots of time and money, energy too. I guess it was the same when I was a kid, but to tell you the truth I don't remember. I can't really remember many gifts I ever got for Christmas. Oh I got some, but Hot Wheels and Tonka trucks fade in color and in memory over time. BUT, those "sneaking off' times, those are the best gifts I ever got, and they weren't even for Christmas. How lucky that I decided then that those things were worth doing with my dad, at a time of life that it is reserved for spending time with your friends. These are among the best decisions I ever made in my life to this day.

I guess what I'm really trying to say is that this Christmas, it may not be worth any one's while to agonize over what gift to give. I never do. Oh, I'll joke about it on the radio and have fun with the fact that I really don't know how to Christmas shop. It's the gift of time that matters. It's the best Christmas gift of all time.

It's the time together. I'm not going to say I wish for another day here, or if I could have just one more day with my dad. That to me is senseless. What I will say is that I am thankful this holiday season that when this time of year rolls around, this is the stuff that really matters to me. Not anything else. It's the time. The place doesn't matter. It's the time. I can only speak for me, but I am so thankful that I took the time, and that time was taken with me. RFW 1924-1978. Thank you.