The Luckiest Man on the Face of the Earth

Tons of people suffer every day. But it’s not the cards you’re dealt; it’s how you play them that make you a success. One man did it all for me: Henry Earl Mays, my dad.

What if you woke up to a disease, an imperfection that
screwed up every damn day? How could you succeed?

My dad worked through a lifetime of adversity and overcame.
His father died when he was two. His drug-addicted mom gave him up for
adoption. As a child, he survived a fall from a one-story building, landing on
top of his head, causing poor vision, an imperfection that plagued him the rest of his life.

He still played singles tennis. His grades earned him a scholarship. He graduated from college, obtained a master’s degree, raised a family, and provided well for us. He taught me, his oldest son, the value of honesty, hard work, how to throw a baseball, play football and tennis, and the beauty of the outdoors and the art of fishing. He was always there for my ball games and graduations, though he could barely see twenty feet. He taught me about love, and to put family first. His blindness forced him to retire early. Though he prided himself in his emotional control, he cried at my graduation from Annapolis. I wish he could have seen my medical school graduation, or at least heard it. He died two years before of a heart attack, at fifty-four.

Steve Jobs developed the iPhone despite cancer. Beethoven wrote symphonies even though he was deaf. Lou Gehrig, earned the “iron horse” of baseball with 2130 consecutive games, then lost his ability to even move and died at age 36. He said he was “The luckiest man on the face of the earth.”

Of all these great men, I believe my dad, an ordinary family man, was greater. And I am luckier than Lou Gehrig. I am the oldest living male Mays for two generations. I hope one day to shake Dad’s hand again—Nah, I want to hug him and hold on for long, long time, and thank him for his determination and sacrifice.

His example makes me keep trying.

Love you, Dad.

Milt

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4 thoughts on “The Luckiest Man on the Face of the Earth

  1. Denise Morrison

    was prompted to read this from your daughter Sarah. what a beautiful and touching post. My father died 22 years ago and his example and wisdom still matter so much to me as a woman of 44. Thank you for sharing this.

     
    Reply
    1. milt

      Thanks. Glad you had a great dad, too. I seem to cry more about Dad now than I ever did when my he died 33 yrs ago. Wish I could have told him more then, I guess. Hopefully he can still hear me, or my thoughts. Thanks again, Denise.
      Milt

       
      Reply
  2. tara pollard pakosta

    Wow, this was beautifully written, very touching, inspirational & lovely…you sound like a man who is just as amazing as his father was, I bet he’s very proud!
    have a great day! thanks for inspiring me to be a better person!
    Tara Pollard Pakosta

     
    Reply

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