Michael McGrail: A Father, a Legend

My father was a legend, and the day he died, he left his legacy to all that loved and adored him. He was not on the big screen, and did not sell millions of albums. Yet, he was a legend to me, to my brother and to his wife. He was a legend to just about anyone that knew him.

A simple man that worked hard his whole life, he taught his family values and lived a life of honor and respect. That was my father, and he, was a legend in his own time. You may have never known him, but he was a man that deserved a Golden Globe for fatherhood. He stood up for freedom and spirituality. He stood for love.

So when this cancer came in our lives and decided to make itself known, my father did what he did anytime things got tough. He gave it to God and then fought like hell, trying to beat this enemy; this cloud of darkness that crept into our world. This stranger was something we were not familiar with, but we learned about it, and did what we could to help him fight it. It was my dad in the end that lost the fight. But he never gave up. He told me that he was committed to this fight. And because my father was the type of man that could live on his word alone, I knew he was ready to battle.

Through chemo, radiation and every other cancer treatment we gave each other hope and kept each other positive. We tried, because we were so close that at times it was like we were one, to keep each other up. There were times that I knew he felt awful, but he kept it from me. There were times I was smiling on the phone with him, but tears streamed down my face.

My father was the type of man that walked three miles in a blizzard to make sure his kids had something to eat. He was the kind of man that always put family first. He would spend a day at the beach with us, finding shells and burying us in the sand. He drove hundreds of miles in the car for family vacations listening to my brother and I fight the whole way. He was the kind of man that would hug us tightly and then scolded us for lying or fighting with each other.

He fought in the Vietnam War and lived his life with pain in his heart. There were things there he had seen, yet wouldn't reveal. He never shared those tragedies with me, but I knew he was only protecting me. He lived a life of love and spirituality. He was a carefree spirit that believed that the only thing important in life was his family. When his grandchildren came along, his heart overflowed with love and pride. Who knew that one man could hold so much love in his heart?

My father was a legend. For those that did not know him, I can only tell you that I am sorry. He played on the big screen in my life. He won Emmys, Golden Globes and Oscars for kindness, patience and acceptance of others. His spirituality led him back to God, and I wait patiently until the day that I see him again.