Of all the memories I have my childhood, among the fondest are those I have of time spent with my parents. Car rides, football games on the TV, discussions around the dinner table… even helping out with the chores around the house.
If I’m being honest, I never truly appreciated the blessing that was the constant presence of my mother and father until I no longer had it. Even so, I’m aware of how lucky I was to have them around whenever I needed them growing up.
Which is why this particular story struck me so hard when I first stumbled upon it. It concerns a young boy, Brian Kelly, and though admittedly a few years old now, I think the message it bears is every bit as important today.
I can only imagine how difficult it is to have a loved one serving overseas. As a parent or spouse, living with the fact that your son, daughter, wife, or husband is away for an extended period of time must be a trying experience.
And it’s perhaps even harder on the children of our service men and women, forced to live without their mother or father and thus denied the quality time I mentioned earlier… the very same quality time so many of us take for granted.
Brian Kelly knows all too well what that’s like. According to reports, he and his dad shared a loving bond and did all manner of things together, including the yard work at their family home.
That all changed, though, when Brian’s dad was deployed to Syria in 2017, leaving little Brian at something of a loose end.
In a heart-wrenching turn of events, Brian spotted his neighbors – the Craven family – outside working on their yard one day, and so plucked up the courage to go by their house and ask if he could help.
Needless to say, Dean Craven got quite the surprise when Brian turned up at his door to ask if he could assist in any way. It was clear to Dean that Brian was missing his dad, and the kind neighbor was all too happy to step in and do his best to make Brian’s time away from his dad a little easier.
Before long, Brian began to go over to the Cravens everyday to help out with the yard work, while Dean, who has three daughters, welcomed the extra pair of hands.
What’s more, Brian and Dean even began to play golf and basketball together, and Brian was delighted to be able to do some of the things he had been missing out on since his father was called upon to serve overseas.
One of Dean’s daughter, Molly Craven, captured some of the interactions between Brian and her father, later uploading them to Twitter for the world to enjoy.
Needless to say, Brian and Dean’s story struck a chord with people online – Molly’s tweet received over 20,000 likes and a whole host of positive comments.
“You have a great father! Truly an inspiration and a incredible role model,” one person wrote.
“My eyes are sweating,” added another.
A third commented: “That is so sweet. Tell your son I hope his Dad gets to return home soon. And tell him a lot of us Air Force veterans are reading ur posts.“
“Not ashamed to admit that I literally teared up,” a fourth confessed.
We’re sure Brian’s dad felt immense pride at his son’s actions while he was away, and we’re so thankful that Dean stepped up to the plate when called upon.
If you found this story as beautifully wholesome as we did, check out the dad and daughter who recreated a high school graduation photo after 18 years, only for fans to spot one detail they simply couldn’t let go.
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