Father's Day 2011 - Eric & Ben

ANOTHER TOUGH ONE
This year Father's Day is a strange one for me. If you care to read what I've written in recent years on this holiday you can do so by visiting those posts for 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 by clicking on those years.

MISSING A GREAT MAN
I miss my father, Robert J. West, every day. He was a simple, hardworking man and I measure my actions by what I think he would think about them.

THE DOC AND BEN
This year I want to tell you about a new father -Dr. Eric Teacher, husband of my niece, Ashley. Last August Ashley and Eric became the proud parents of Benjamin O'Brien Teacher - one of the coolest little guys you'll ever see. As the first grand child of Lawrence and Connie Cunningham, Ben's getting all the love he can handle - and is thriving because of it. This Father's Day is going to be very, very special for them all.



GOT ME A FOOTBALL BUDDY!
I'm really looking forward to young Ben's development. As you can see in this photo, he's an avid college football fan already, so he and I are going to be spending some great Saturdays in the fall of the year - rooting for our favorite teams. We just hope that once his father, Eric, finishes his residency he will remain close enough to visit us often. In the meantime, Eric - as most young fathers do - juggles the challenges of his profession and being a husband and dad, too. He's doing a great job!