A Dad's Tribute to a Perfect Son

I have four sons I love equally, this is to my first born: Happy Birthday Son: You are the most perfect son any parent could ever have, and I wish I could be as good a parent as you are a son. As a kindergartner, after your transition from legos to erector sets, you quickly developed into the other centered individual most adults live all their lives without realizing; it was then that I saw you go from door to door in our DC neighborhood collecting food items that were then presented to Congressman Earl Pomeroy for donation to victims of the Red River floods in Grand Forks, North Dakota. I bloated with pride and cried with satisfaction as Congressman Pomeroy stood on the floor of the United States House of Representatives and repeated your name in giving thanks to you on behalf of his North Dakota. After that event, your mother and I had no need to check your homework anymore, for it was always done, done correctly and done before play. That was Elementary School, what would the future hold for you? At Middle School I saw a deep pain and sorrow within you for the very first time. Despite all our family adaptations and tests, I saw your sorry and I felt your pain at the lost of Space Shuttle Columbia on re-entry, February 1, 2003; not because of the fact that you and your Middle School Teammates had lost an experiment that was on board Columbia, but I saw your inner grief for Columbia's Crew and for the future of space exploration, you admired so much. I was not surprised when you became one of the gifted 620 students to gain admission to a High School specializing in Math and Science of a total of over 20,000 students who sat for examination. Neither was I surprised when you were offered a seat at each of the five Ivy league Universities to which you applied. And thanks for accepting my preference over your Mom's(lol). Son, it is to your innovative spirit and that of your generation that I rise everyday. I rise to advocate for freedoms across the globe so that accomplishments to Math, Science, Medicine and Technology could be improved and realized by all peoples in all countries; for it is only then that we could say that we have loved and served all humanity. Happy birthday son, continue to innovate and I will do my best to advocate. Much Love, your Dad.