Rachel called me recently. “I almost destroyed the best thing my father had,” she said. “All because I was ashamed. But he’s the most selfless man I know.”
“You came back,” I told her. “That’s what matters.”
Now, every Wednesday, Bull and Duke visit the hospital as a therapy team. Rachel gave Bull a new patch for his vest — Duke’s Dad. He cried when she handed it to him.
Last week, a woman in the cafeteria pulled her child away from Bull. “Stay away from that man,” she whispered. Rachel heard and marched right over.
“That man is my father,” she said firmly. “A veteran, a hero, and the kindest person you’ll ever meet. Don’t judge by appearances. Judge by love.”
The woman apologized. The child asked to pet Duke. Bull smiled, knelt, and let the kid hug him.
Rachel stood beside me watching. “I wasted eight years being ashamed of the best man I’ve ever known,” she said quietly. “Never again.”
Bull looked up, caught her eye, and mouthed, I love you.
She mouthed it back.
Continue reading…
