This is my dad’s 100th birthday.

When I was about 3 1/2 years old, we lived in a duplex with a small back yard with a swingset in it. My dad was a mailman and would often come home for lunch. He wore a blue uniform and carried a large brown leather bag to carry his mail in for his walking mail route. I have a home movie with me and my dad in it. He was walking around the back yard with me in his mail bag. My dad loved all of his kids, deeply.

For my birthday that year he had gotten me a 1/8 scale model of a 1968 Jaguar XKE to put together. It was far too complicated for me to do alone so he came to help me put it together. I felt such kindness from him that day. I felt special, set apart for this moment in time. He came more times to help me finish the car. It wasn’t perfect, and yes, there was glue on the windshield. But none of that mattered. Dad showed me he cared, and that he knew how much I loved cars. And…. It was red. (For those who know me, they know I love red cars and today, I actually own 4 red cars.)

Another memory was when I was about 6 years old. It was a warm summer evening in Omaha, NE. Our house sat on a long main road in a new subdivision. All the cars came and went in our area through this road. So, we sat watching the night sky turn dark. My dad started a game. “Johnny, can you name the next car that comes by?” So, car by car we guessed the cars together. Is it any wonder why I love cars today?