Sometimes it takes a dad | Greg Asimakoupoulos

Published 5:45 am Tuesday, April 21, 2026

I attended the Seattle Mariners’ home opener a few weeks ago. Although our team lost the first game of the season, it was a memorable night. The unveiling of the Divisional Championship banner was an awesome sight. The enthusiastic welcome for our team, that came to within eight outs of going to their first World Series, was electric.

But it’s what took place just before the opening pitch that stands out in my mind. It touched my heart. It brought tears to my eyes. An eleven-year-old cancer survivor was invited by Make-a-Wish Foundation to run the bases. Dressed in a junior-sized Mariners uniform, Brody Hamilton lived his dream.

As the boy reached first base, he tripped and fell. It was clear that he’d twisted his ankle. In spite of the pain, young Brody was determined to keep on going. He found his feet and regained his composure. A male member of his family ran onto the infield and joined the hobbling baserunner until Brody had rounded third and reached home plate.

That inspirational pre-game scene reminded me of a similar moment in Barcelona that captured the world’s attention four decades ago. During the 1992 Summer Olympics, a runner from the United Kingdom by the name of Derek Redmond was chasing his dream of a gold medal. Halfway through the semi-finals of the 440 meters event, Derek tore his hamstring and fell to the ground in obvious anguish.

Medics rushed onto the track to assist him, but Derek waved them off. Standing up by himself, the injured athlete began to hobble toward the finish line. He was determined to finish the race. Out of the stadium seats, Jim Redmond, Derek’s father, ran down to field level. He pushed security guards aside as he made his way to where his son was. Wrapping his arm around his son’s shoulder, Jim escorted his son to the finish line. What the thousands in the grandstands observed was deeply emotional.

That unforgettable Olympic moment still moves me to tears whenever I watch it on YouTube. It’s a scene that reminds me of the unfailing love my dad had for me. Throughout my life, my father was there at just the time I needed him most. Recently I recalled a time when I had crashed and burned emotionally due to poor choices I had made in my youth. My dad wrapped his arms around me and assured me that it was going to be okay. Even though my father passed away eighteen years ago, I replay that memorable hug often in my head.

This past weekend I began my 75th orbit around the sun. As I contemplated that milestone, I am more convinced than ever that George Bailey of Bedford Falls isn’t the only person who has had a wonderful life. I thank God for my most wonderful life thus far. And a key contributor to my blessed life is a father who was there to support and rescue me when I lacked the ability to make it on my own. But I am confident I am not alone. It is quite possible you had a similar dad or mom (or a surrogate parent figure) who came to your rescue.

As we reflect on our own life-giving experiences of supportive parents, it’s easy to understand why we resonate with what happened at the Mariner’s home opener and at the 1992 Olympics. A supportive dad or mom creates an emotional impact deep within us that is triggered by other’s life experiences we witness or read about.

It’s no wonder we relate to Jesus’ parable of the Prodigal Son found in the 15th chapter of St. Luke’s Gospel. In that poignant story, the Savior illustrates how our Heavenly Father meets us at the point of our failure, pain and weakness to help us reach our goals.

That portrait of God’s reaching love, a love that embraces us with undeserved grace all the while escorting us home, is one of my favorite passages of Scripture. It’s a picture that hangs in the gallery of my heart. It continually calls to mind God’s persevering compassion that anticipates our need and runs to meet us where we are.

Guest columnist Greg Asimakoupoulos is a former chaplain at Covenant Living at the Shores in Mercer Island.