Grand reason to celebrate Father’s Day

By Butch Asselin,
 Houlton Police Chief
Special to the Pioneer Times
    As I was recently traveling to see my newborn grandson, I began to reminisce about the time when my daughters were babies themselves and the joy they brought me. All children are precious but fathers hold a very special place in their heart for their little girls.
Contributed photo
A GRAND DAY FOR THE CHIEF — Houlton Police Chief tackles thorny problems running his department, but new grandson, Gavin Leroy Blanchard who entered the world June 10 at eight pounds, has the upper hand.
    To this day, I still tickle my daughters in the very same spot whenever I hug them. They would be disappointed if I stopped. I remember those times when I would spontaneously ask, “Who loves Dad” and they would both race to be the first to answer. Even though they are now adults, I know that if I posed this same question again, there would be no hesitation in their response.
    I smile whenever I think of those nights when I heard them whispering to each other from their beds or kept silent as I watched them sneak into each other’s bedroom.
    I think about all the softball games I attended, coaching pee-wee basketball and how proud I was to see them getting their college degrees.
    Looking at how happy, caring and successful they are, I guess I got some things right.
    When I look at the picture of me holding my grandson for the very first time, a strong sense of love overwhelms me. It is the same feeling I experienced when I held his mother for the first time just 29 years ago.
    With all the love Gavin will experience growing up, I know someday he will get it right too.