Father's Day Reflections
My First Wish from, The Journeyman Project
I always wanted to be a father. It was my first wish as I began my adult life. My first son, Ben, was born in 1996 when I was thirty-five, and my twins arrived seven years later in 2003 when I was forty-two. It was late compared to my siblings, who had started their families ten years earlier. There were times I wasn’t sure I would get my wish. Children are sometimes born unexpectedly and come to us in their own time. My children straddled the centuries, almost 100 years after my grandfather, George Bernard Donohue, born in 1906, was born unexpectedly when his father was forty-seven. My children are grown and starting their journeys, and the fragile chain continues to hold. Generation after generation, we travel through the years longing for the connection that gives our lives purpose and meaning—searching for our home in each other’s presence. We find peace in knowing we are connected, but still a fragile link to each other, finding ourselves in the strength of the chain of love that binds us together, sometimes unexpectedly.
My son, and Mason’s Father, Benjamin, my grandson Mason, son Grant Thomas, and daughter Grace Marie
I wrote this song recently for my children…My First Wish.
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My grandson, Mason
Excerpt from the book The Journeyman
Mason arrived on December 15th, 2018. My son Ben was twenty-two, and Mason’s mother, Veronica, was nineteen. When Ben came to me and told me his girlfriend was pregnant, and asked me what he should do, I told him it wasn’t my decision to make, and I could only tell him the promise I made to myself when I was his age. I believe in life and all the mysteries that surround it, and if I found myself facing an unplanned pregnancy, I would take on the obligation with love, leading me into whatever future we had together by the grace of God.
I’m not sure what effect that had on him and Mason’s mother, Veronica, but we were all graced by the presence of Mason nine months later. At the time he came to me, Ben was doing well. He had tackled some of the bipolar and addiction issues he was facing, and he was holding down a steady job. Nine months later, the couple had broken up, and he slipped back into the depths of addiction and bipolar chaos. Veronica decided she didn’t want to care for the baby, and he was going to be put into foster care. I wasn’t going to let that happen.
Even though I was in the depths of my tragedy with my divorce and worsening health crisis, I sought to petition the court for custody, when the court informed me that Veronica’s mother, Stephanie, who Mason calls Na-ne, had already done so. I offered her my support and told her I wanted to be involved with Mason’s support and care. She picked him up at the hospital with Veronica, and they drove him to my house, where we sat together holding him and beaming with the joy that only a new life can bring.
Stephanie pledged to me that she would make every attempt to include me in Mason’s upbringing, and we scheduled a weekly visit where he spent the day at my home with me, my girlfriend at that time, Stephanie, and her three daughters. Between the three of us, we were raising eight children already, and I had the experience of helping to raise my younger siblings and twenty-one nieces and nephews, so we fell right into a natural rhythm quite familiar.
Mason is a beautiful child, easy-going, curious, and loving. He never cried when he was with me, not even once. I was a proud Papa and thanked God for honoring us by putting us in each other’s lives and bringing hope for the future into view. I knew we were kindred spirits the moment I held him, each needing the other, and it felt like the sun was always shining in the house, no matter what the weather was doing outside. As he grew, the visits continued, and we bonded as only one can with your grandchild. I saw him as a special gift arriving in my life when all else seemed lost or broken.
I knew his journey was not going to be easy with both parents struggling with addiction. His parents were both now on a path of self-destruction as Veronica slipped from being an unprepared young mother to an absentee mother who had abandoned her child, falling into a risky lifestyle with dangerous people and Ben continued to go down a dark road at breathtaking speeds without any guardrails. It was tragic, but through it all, Stephanie, Mason’s grandmother, and I showered our young prince with our unconditional love.
Mason will be seven years old this December, and he has grown quickly into a funny, smart, handsome, compassionate, curious joy of a boy. I see him every week online from my home in California, sharing with him all I know about art, music, and love in our weekly classes. He spends half the year in Florida with Na-ne and his two great-grandmothers. The other half is spent in Massachusetts, and he is home-schooled. He is fully aware of his parents’ challenges. He has an emotional intelligence way beyond his years, accepting them for who they are without judgment, only hoping for their return, taking what he can when he can.
Mason has only received a handful of visits from his father and a few more with his mother over the seven years since his birth, fleeting moments he holds onto that remind him that they are still there, which leaves the door open that one day he might have more of them than what he has now. Until then, he has all of us, his family, by his side. I remind my son every chance I get that Mason, his beautiful son, is waiting for him, and Mason is a warrior of truth and love. I call Mason my Ninja boy for his strength and determination. We wrote this song during one of our weekly meetings to honor that strength and the strength in all of us to claim our rightful place in the world, our home, and sail through the storms that come our way.
Ninja Boy Quest, Written by Tim Cooney and Mason Frazer
For my Ninja Boy and grandson, Mason Joseph Frazer
In the shadow of the night, a hero takes flight,
Ninja boy in black, ready for the fight.
Flashing through the streets, he’s quick as the breeze,
Challenging the darkness, bringing enemies to their knees.
With a heart full of courage, he's got no fear,
Facing off against foes, the victory’s near.
He spins and he kicks, a whirlwind of grace,
In the battle's embrace, he finds his place.
[Chorus]
Ninja boy, rise up, fight through the night,
With every punch and kick, you'll reach for the light.
Victory's a comet, shining so bright,
Ninja boy, keep pushing, you're winning this fight!
[Verse 2]
With the sun rising high, he’s claimed the town,
But the fight’s not over; he won’t back down.
To the next battle, he's ready to soar,
With fists like thunder, he’s hungry for more!
He charges ahead, an unstoppable force,
With each ninja move, he stays on course.
A tank of determination, fueled by his dreams,
In the game of bravery, he's bursting at the seams.
[Chorus]
Ninja boy, rise up, fight through the night,
With every punch and kick, you'll reach for the light.
Victory's a comet, shining so bright,
Ninja boy, keep pushing, you're winning this fight!
[Bridge]
When the battles are won and the dusk settles down,
Home to his family, wearing the crown.
Dinner's on the table, warmth fills the air,
Sharing laughs and stories, love everywhere.
Then the call comes in, a competition's near,
Ten more ninja boys, it's a battle they cheer!
[Verse 3]
They gather together, united they stand,
Brotherhood in action, a formidable band.
Training hard, side by side, pushing the limit,
Each one driven with their own spirit.
And when the fight ends, it’s time to unwind,
For sweet victory waits, with ice cream we find!
[Chorus]
Ninja boy, rise up, fight through the night,
With every punch and kick, you'll reach for the light.
Victory's a comet, shining so bright,
Ninja boy, keep pushing, you're winning this fight!
[Outro]
So here’s to the battles, to the fights that we win,
To family and laughter, let the fun begin!
Ninja boy’s journey is an exhilarating spree,
With ice cream in hand, he’s forever free.
With every new adventure, he’s ready to roam,
A spirit unbroken, in this world he calls home.
Papa Tim, Mason, age 6, Stephanie, Na-ne, 2025 Boston Children’s Museum
Papa Tim and Mason 2020
Grant, Grace, Mason, and Tim in Newport, RI 2024
A montage of Mason growing up with his Papa and extended family, the chain will never be broken!
I’m in Tune, The Who
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