playing baseball. I was coaching him, and at the time I was a fire investigator before becoming fire chief. We responded to the death of a child, and it completely changed the way I looked at things. I remember thinking about how much pressure I had been putting on my own son. Then I thought about that family and what they would give just to watch their child play baseball again. So that’s been a huge lesson learned: Don’t sweat the small stuff.
kids are like my kids, and my kids are like theirs.
baseball have been my proudest moments as a dad.
Tonight when I get home, it might just be me, my wife, and my daughter, or it could be 15 or 20 people. We just figure out what we’re going to cook and make sure everyone has something to eat. Crawfish season is our common time to get together. Once the baseball games are over on Saturday or Sunday, everyone heads to our house. We’ll boil four or five sacks of crawfish. I guess you could say we’re the neighborhood’s party house—although once the sun goes down, I tell everybody it’s time to head home because it’s time for bed.
WHAT DOES BEING A GREAT FATHER MEAN TO YOU? WHAT DO YOU HOPE YOUR CHILDREN WILL REMEMBER ABOUT GROWING UP WITH YOU? MICHAEL: I hope my greatest moments are watching my children succeed. They’ve always been leaders among their peers. I hope they remember that I always loved them, did my best to care for them, and worked hard to provide for our family. I also hope they remember that their dad made a difference in the parish by giving back to the citizens. RAPID-FIRE QUESTIONS Favorite spot for date night… Tsunami. One word that best describes your family… loyal. Favorite food… depends on what time of year it is.
HOW DO YOU MAKE FAMILY TIME COUNT WHEN EVERYONE IS TOGETHER?
MICHAEL: Our house is always busy. I’m fortunate because my brother, his wife, and their two kids live right next door, so our nieces and nephews are at our house almost every night. Cooking is a big thing for us. By the time we all get home, you’ll usually find me out on the patio cooking on my Black- stone, even in the middle of summer. Our house has become the neighborhood gathering place. The neighbors are always stopping by, and many of them are firefighters I’ve worked with for years. There’s about five of us who all live close together. Their
IF YOUR FAMILY HAD TO DESCRIBE YOU IN THREE WORDS,
WHAT DO YOU THINK THEY WOULD SAY? MICHAEL: Loyal, dedicated, and committed.
WHAT’S ONE OF YOUR PROUDEST MOMENTS AS A DAD? MICHAEL: Watching my children graduate, seeing them accept Christ as their Lord and Savior, watching my daughter pursue her dream of becoming a teacher and giving back to the next genera- tion, and watching my son play football and
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