Editorial: To all the dads, Happy Father’s Day

ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) - James Owen Austin.

A name that may not mean very much to you, but it’s a name that has now shaped the lives of, I know, 45 individuals. (And that’s just immediate family members.)

It’s now been 30 years since my father passed away, and that man has continued to shape and mold my life by the way he lived. He had it all in the right order: God first, wife second and his family third.

There was no denying it.

A man I never heard use profanity, unless you count “bologna sausage” as one. He loved the Braves and the Falcons, and I have many memories of watching or listening to those games with him.

Countless times I’ve wanted his advice or guidance, and yes, even his correction.

But, like a good father, he taught me well enough that I had the answers. I just needed to search deep inside for them.

For this, I am so thankful.

He was a Christian Man, a veteran, a husband, and a father. But I knew James Owen Austin as dad.

That name now belongs to my son. I hope one day, he looks back and realizes that Bruce Austin shaped his life and made a positive impact.

There’s an old but profound saying, “Anyone can be a father, but it takes a special person to be a dad.”

So, to you dads, and yes, even single moms having to raise a child alone, Happy Father’s Day.

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