Dedication

DEDICATION


“. . . to see those men whom God has placed above kings and ministers by giving them a mission to fulfill, rather than a position to occupy.”

Alexandre Dumas




These are magnanimous words but fatherhood is noble business. My father, a farmer, never read The Count of Monte Cristo, but he loved to read and to learn and he encouraged me to do the same.
I spoke with my father every day by phone during the last three years of his life. He always ended each conversation by saying, “I love you more than yesterday, but less than tomorrow.”
My father was not a rugged man, but he had the strength and courage to say what so many rough-hewn men dare to think. Each time he said “I love you,” he heaped diamonds, pearls and rubies into the treasure chest of my heart, and I am a rich man because of him.
Therefore, I dedicate this book to Harold Martin, a man who fulfilled a duty that some “great” men shirk. Nevertheless, the most honorable achievement for any man entrusted with the care of a child is the one in which my father excelled: fatherhood.