2026-06-21  Week 25 

A single question can reveal everything about a father: after I totaled my dad’s car, his first words weren’t about the damage, they were “Are you okay?” That moment sticks with me, and on Father’s Day it opens the door to a bigger story about family, faith, and the people who shape us across generations at David Douglas Diamonds.

I walk through memories of my grandfathers, including the one who started our family in the jewelry industry, and how age changes what we notice and what we regret not asking. There are road trip flashbacks to Hollywood, Florida, when the drive from Michigan felt endless, plus the odd little details that make a childhood feel real. a swimming pool, a dachshund in a high chair, and meals that carried old-world tradition. Then we move into my dad’s world, from camping on lake property to a Popular Mechanics inspired cardboard dome tent that turned into a soggy graham cracker in a downpour. The laughs are easy now, but the lessons were earned.

From there, I talk about the complicated mix of personalities and money in extended family, the adventures my aunt gave me, and what it’s like to become a father later than planned through adoption. I also share why mentors matter, the neighbor who taught me work ethic, the church friend who modeled intentional parenting, and the prayer that God would place other godly men in my kids’ lives where I fall short. We end with gratitude for a fragile miracle: a fourth generation carrying on a family jewelry business and learning to be a father in his own right.

If these stories hit home, subscribe, share this with a dad or mentor you respect, and leave a review so more families can find it. What’s one moment that defined “fatherhood” for you?