Episode 4: Father's Day Special!

This Father’s Day, America Is Great is celebrating the fathers, father figures, mentors, grandfathers, stepdads, and everyday heroes who help shape our lives.

In this special episode, we reflect on the moments that make fatherhood memorable—from the unforgettable dad jokes and life lessons to the quiet ways fathers show up every day. We talk about the values that are often passed down through generations: hard work, resilience, kindness, integrity, and showing up for the people who matter.

Fatherhood looks different for every family, and this episode recognizes the many people who step into that role and leave a lasting impact.

Join us for a heartfelt and uplifting conversation celebrating the men who encourage us, teach us, support us, and remind us that some of life’s greatest lessons happen in everyday moments.

In this episode:
• Celebrating fathers and father figures
• Dad wisdom that sticks with us
• Funny and relatable Father’s Day moments
• The impact of showing up and leading by example
• Why strong communities begin at home

Thank you for listening to America Is Great.

If this episode made you think of someone special, share it with a father or father figure who has made a difference in your life.

Happy Father’s Day! :)

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:02

Welcome back to America is Great, the podcast where we celebrate the stories, people, and moments that make this country special. Hi, I am your host, Heather. Today's episode is all about Father's Day. And I dedicate this episode not only to all the dads out there, but especially to my dad, husband, and father-in-law, as well as my granddad, my dad's dad, and my grandpa Bob. It's my mom's dad. Every one of these people has had their hand in my life, shaping who I am today and who I'm becoming. Welcome back to America is great. When we think about fathers, we often think of the big things, providing, protecting, teaching, but sometimes it's the little moments that stick with us most. The dad who taught us how to ride a bike, the dad who fixed things with confidence, even if they were leftover screws, the dad jokes we rolled our eyes at, but secretly tell those same jokes now. The grandfather who would sit and tell us stories of his life, these stories would go on forever. Maybe your husband or partner, who is a father now, and watching him with your kids and how well he interacts with them, teaching, coaching, and just being there for the family he loves. And even those father-in-law, or I'd like to take from my mother-in-law's book, she calls me her daughter-in-love. So my father-in-law is truly my father in love. Maybe you too have someone like this in your life, that this person has welcomed you into their family with open arms and has truly brought you love, comfort, and even joy. Today we're celebrating fathers, father figures, grandfathers, stepdads, mentors, military dads, and all the people who show up and make a difference. Fatherhood doesn't always look one way. Sometimes it's biology, sometimes it's choice, sometimes it's the coach, mentor, uncle, teacher, or friend who stepped in. So think about this. What's one thing your dad always said? So my dad growing up, his favorite things to tell us would be pin your ears, especially during sporting events. And then he would say, Go get him, kiddo. And then my favorite, hey baby girl, when he would see us, or if we were just kind of hanging out at the house and we would walk up and sit with him on the couch. That was always my favorite thing to hear. What lessons did he teach you that you still use? So for me, be true to your word. I work hard. There are so many lessons I was taught through my life and still learn from my dad even to this day. What's the funniest dad moment you remember? Well, growing up, we would ask Dad to tell us a scary story. And he used to tell us the story about a man who walked into a cemetery and walked up to the biggest tombstone in the graveyard. And he would ask it, How did you die? And the tombstone would say, Nothing at all. He would use his best scary story voice. And then we used to get so freaked out, but really it was funny because tombstones don't talk. They really say nothing at all. We would be so freaked. Dad would laugh. And then here are some things that some memories that I like to recollect on, especially not just on Father's Day, but my whole life. Um, these are some things that dad would do. Some stories that I remember from the past that I do like to think back on. And I said, Dad, it's a group effort from all of us kids. So growing up, we would fight over who he was going to lay with that night to rub our backs with a brush until we fell asleep. I tell my husband now when I asked for back rubs, because they really do help me sleep, it's all my dad's fault. I truly remember, and I try to recreate now, but I have yet to figure it out. Your scrampled eggs are truly the best. And this one came from Elise. Going to the doctor's office and having to be held down when it came time for shots. This one I remember fondly too, because I would ask to stay in the waiting room when I would have to tag along. Roller skating in the auction while granddad would watch and smile and laugh at us as we would skate by. Trips to Wisconsin, you would drive straight through from Texas. These were memorable, memorable because of the conversations we would have while everyone else was asleep. Elise and I both have the same fond memory. Charlie brought up the time when she choked on a taco shell, and I had to perform the heimlick, and I didn't know if that taco shell was going to come out or not. And I yelled for you. And before I knew it, you come flying over the front counter. She said that that's all she remembers too, is looking over and here comes Super Dad. That that taco did come out, though, by the way. And then we would go to a lot of Texas AM football games. We went to this one basketball game particular that I remember. And I think it was opening night to the new stadium, but we got to do the halftime show. I think it was just me, Elise, and Charlie, if I remember correctly. And we had to dress up like characters. We would spin around three times with our face on the bat, and then we'd have to run to the middle of the stadium, the middle of the court. That was fun. Elise brought up the time when we went to the football game or a football game and it rained the whole time. She said she remembered the yellow rain jackets. And then I don't know if you remember, or maybe it was you, but you found a ticket stub from that football game not too long ago because you still had that rain jacket. That's pretty cool. And then another fun memory that all of us kids like to remember is building the deck over the pond. One summer in Texas, we had a really bad drought, and so the lake had receded. And we took, well, you took full advantage to build that deck. I don't remember how long it took, but I do remember it was hot and it was a lot of hard work. But that was one thing that we all truly remember. Colton brought up a lot of land clearing and yard work. So building the fence around the farm. I do remember you'd let us drive the truck to haul the brush to the burn pit. And it was these times that I believe I built my work ethic and my love for hard work. With my job in the military, one of the tasks that we learn is how to build these really big tents. You learn how to cook out of the tents and that have to first be built. So the tents get built and then you build the kitchen within it. And I loved doing this work the best because it was a lot of hard work. And while I understand these tasks can be daunting and physically exhausting at times, it's these tasks that I truly enjoyed doing. Some other memories that we have is swimming at Willow Brook, uh, the country club. And then we would always go to the pool. You'd throw us in, or you'd go underwater and we'd like to surf on your back. This list could go on and on. I do want to point out some memories, some lessons learned that I have from my father-in-law Dan. You have taught me so much. A lot of my lessons over the past 18 years would be your love for your country, as you've served over 20 years in the Air Force. And as Todd and I have our life lessons in the military, you're the one person that we can go to when we're struggling with something. Your love for woodworkings, and that when we go to work at the vendor events together, you like to give the children who show interest in your little cars, you like to give them out for free. It goes to show that you truly do your work for the love of the craft and ask little to no money when people truly show the joy they have when they see your arts and crafts. Todd, your love for your country as a security forces member in the Air Force, your love for our son as he is a teenager and having to force some tough love on him sometimes, but you do it with compassion and grace. Your time you take to play with computer games with him, even if you don't enjoy the kinds of games he likes to play, it's so cute to watch you interact with him and his friends. And then I love to watch you as a leader in the military. You do such a great job at your job, and you can tell that the interaction that you have with your airmen, they have a lot of compassion, they have a love of you as a person and as a leader, and it truly shows. And then lastly, my late grandfathers. I truly miss these men in my life. So my mom's dad lived out in the woods in Wisconsin, and we would take lots of trips there to see him, especially during Christmas. We would stay out in the woods with him. Memories of his buildings, he would build these. So his home, one of his homes that I remember, he built out of the trees in the woods that he lived in. And it was literally a log cabin. He lived in that forever until he decided to build a little bit more modern cabin, but it had a fireplace in it, and it was made out of all windows. So that way it would look out and we would watch the deer and the turkey and the different animals that would come out at night. And he'd always have country music playing all times a day. So I do remember waking up one night and we were sleeping in the main cabin. And my brother, he was young at the time. I don't remember his age, but he got scared. So he wanted to go back to the other cabin where my mom and dad and my other siblings were staying. So I got up with him, wrapped him in a blanket, and walked across it was a good distance back to the other cabin. And I dropped him off with my mom. And then I went back again to my granddad, my grandpa's cabin. That's a very fond memory. He would like to light the fires in these fireplaces, and they'd be blazing. And of course, it was fun to watch the snow at night when it would fall. A lot of fond memories with my grandpa Bob out in the woods. My dad's dad, he was always at the auction. And my dad and him worked as a team for a long time until they sold the auction. He always made the best stew, which I still make today. It always brings me joy and happiness when I eat it. And that's one thing he would make, and he and it makes a lot. And at the auction, they had car auctions every Thursday. And they had a kitchen in the back where they would prepare lunch for these auctioneers that would come in and they would buy the vehicles to then sell at their stores. And then when he was able to get around, he and grandmother would come to the farm and fish with us. That was also a really fond memory that I have. His stories about his time in the army, he served four years serving in Korea for a time. And it was these stories that made me want to serve. All right, some fast, fun round. I'm going to finish these. So the question, and then I'm going to answer them. So my classic dad activity, and I know I did a couple of these at the beginning. So my dad graduated from Texas AM. And uh growing up, he'd love to take us to some of these games, football games, basketball games. And I always loved his face. I always loved watching his face light up when we he would take us. He took us to the core of Cadet Museum. And he would just, it's just the love that he has for his campus. And I truly loved it for the military aspect. It's fun to watch. Their band is absolutely amazing, and they're pretty known for their band. So if you are interested at YouTube it, it's the fighting Texas Aggie band. My brother, fun fact actually, graduated there as well, and he served in the band. So there were lots of trips to Texas AM, getting to watch. And it truly is an amazing place. Um, whether you have interest in going to the school or if you don't, if you find yourself in Texas one day, there truly is an atmosphere about Texas AM University that if you're in the area, college station, I would go. Ultimate Father's Day meal. My dad loves cheesecake. So I do remember having cheesecake pretty much for his birthday. Father's Day, pretty much any time that we can find a time to eat it, because it was his favorite. And then one thing that my dad could fix better than anyone. So tears when we would cry, my favorite would be going to him because he always had something to say, positive. He always made me feel better, scraped knees, everything. Um, my dad was my biggest supporter when I joined the Air Force, besides my brother. So I can't say enough great things about my dad. I don't want to get too emotional on this episode, so I'm going to be closing now. To all the fathers and father figures listening, thank you for showing up. Thank you for trying. Thank you for the lessons, the laughs, the support, and yes, even the terrible dad jokes. Happy Father's Day. And remember, America is built from everyday people doing extraordinary things, one family at a time. I would love to hear some of the life lessons your father figures taught you, and any memories you have of your father or father figure. Any suggestions and topics you may have, also send them my way. You can go to www.voicesandstoriesstudio.squarespace.com or email me, AmericaisGreat023 at gmail.com. Also, I'm trying to get this podcast to reach as many people as possible, so please share, rate, and review. The more views, the better I become. Until next time, this is America is great. And remember, be the reason somebody smiles today.