Who is your favorite tough guy?  When I think of tough guys I often think of action heroes such as Harrison Ford or Arnold Schwarzenegger.  I know those particular choices date me, but I don’t know any young actors that I think of as tough guys.  A tough guy is someone who gets beat up but still wins the day.  Who defies the odds.  Who keeps fighting.

In that vein, I have to mention my dad, David Clymer.  Dad isn’t an action hero, but he is a genuine, grade A, tough guy.  Many years ago he had a heart attack, open heart surgery, and a stroke all in the space of a couple of months.  He bounced back from all of that and continued to play tennis and practice medicine.

Two years ago he was hit by a truck when he was riding his trike.  I wrote about that here.  Again, Dad bounced back without any broken bones.  The police did not cite the driver of the Spectrum truck, who was clearly wrong for not yielding to Dad on a right turn.  Dad hired a lawyer and fought to get Spectrum to pay the medical bills that accrued from the accident.  He just wanted the bills paid and for the company to acknowledge the driver was in the wrong.  Despite Spectrum’s insurance company dragging things out as long as possible (I think they were hoping Dad would die and the suit would be dropped), Dad’s lawyer finally prevailed.

The week before Christmas, Dad bonked his head on the corner of the entertainment center.  He falls frequently and usually lands on his head.  But this time there was a great deal of blood and a gash that required stitches.  Despite spending the day at the emergency room, Mom and Dad were both at church the next morning.

Then, on Saturday, January 3, two weeks after the bonk on the head, Dad was getting in the car when his leg broke.  He didn’t fall until after it broke.  Just one of those brittle bone things that happen to seniors.  The ambulance came and took Dad off the to the Ohio Health emergency room again.

After another afternoon spent waiting, Dad was admitted to the hospital.  Sunday morning he had surgery on his leg.  At first the doctor put in a plate and pins to hold the leg together.  Later that day, Dad was already trying to lift the leg and wondering when physical therapy would start.  Monday they moved him to the orthopedic wing and started physical therapy.  He is determined, despite his age and the extent of the injury, to get up and walk.

Dad is not the only tough guy in the family.  My mom is a tough guy as well.  She doesn’t get injured like Dad, but she is the steel that keeps him going.  Both of them face the challenges of aging with a grace and strength that inspires me every day.

We never know what the future brings for any of us.  Our days are in God’s hands. I am so blessed by every day I get to spend with my parents.  I am thankful for their toughness and I want to be just like them when I grow up.