A Dad's Hands

My Dad and I recently applied for licenses to expand our business to the State of California. Along with the applicable forms and fees, we also had to submit fingerprint cards for a background check. My license arrived in the mail a few weeks later. My Dad received a letter about the same time notifying him that his fingerprints had been rejected, and his license application denied. When the police dept. re-fingerprinted him, they commented that the FBI would have a difficult time ever running prints on such rough hands.
Decades of hard work had left his hands scarred, calloused, and cracked. While my hands, I'm embarrased to admit, are soft and smooth. And I guess that's what Dads do. Work hard so their kids' lives will be better than their own. I hope to do the same. I hope that in thirty years my hands will bear the marks of a Dad whose worked hard to sustain, protect, play with, coach, bless, and comfort his family. And one day, I'd like to be rejected for a California business license.