Rick Mercier will see one in all America's greatest majesties today. It'll fill his heart with such awe, he's going to barely have the ability to hold back the tears. His heart will catch in his throat, and he'll wonder just how his God could create something so breathtakingly unique.

But first he's going to visit the Grand Canyon. 

This weekend, children world wide will celebrate their dads, offering up new ties and socks and hoping their old man knows how much they love him. This Father's Day weekend, Rick's son Jason will give his dad the best gift a father can imagine. 

To know how this may happen, you need to know a little bit about both men and the way they came to a spot where the Grand Canyon is the second-biggest thing Rick Mercier will experience this weekend. 

Jason Mercier is in the midst of a dream summer. He has already won nearly half one million dollars in World Series of Poker prize money. That comes with his fourth WSOP gold bracelet and a runner-up finish that saw him nearly claim a fifth title. That does not include whatever money (by his count approximately $750,000) he pulled in from side bets along with his fellow players. Today, he has a possibility to win again. He's some of the final 14 players within the $10,000 HORSE championship. First place pays $422,874 and maybe more importantly, another gold bracelet.  

Mercier's summer is popping heads everywhere. His fans are clicking refresh on live WSOP updates all day long. His peers are staring in awe. Poker luminaries as bright as Doyle Brunson and Phil Hellmuth are going out in their solution to let the arena know the child from Florida has impressed them. Something is occurring that few people can understand or even fewer people can explain. 

Along the rails on the WSOP stands a person who's not nearly as surprised. Rick Mercier likely knows his son better than anyone. Jason is the youngest of Rick's four children, and in a way, is probably the most like his dad. Both are, in poker parlance, grinders. 

Rick, a successful businessman, once said, "I'm a grinder by nature for work. I DON'T BELIEVE in regards to the hours. I do just what I NEED TO do."

While the facility to harness success may come naturally to both the businessman and his self-taught poker prodigy, the results of having there have manifested themselves more profoundly within the son. That is what makes this Father's Day weekend so remarkable. 

In late 2013, Jason Mercier was already a superstar. He had won a WSOP bracelet, European Poker Tour title, and millions of bucks. He was headed toward his 30s as a millionaire, but on a poker trip to Europe he found himself untethered, tired, and in peril of a crash few people saw coming. Famous for the long hours he put in, Mercier needed to step clear of the game.

"It's almost like the old story where the frog doesn't know he's cooked until he's dead. They only keep slowly turning up the heat," Rick told us in 2014.

Mercier on his option to bagging the Day 3 chip lead within the $10,000 HORSE championship

Mercier did the one thing he knew to do. He went home to his parents, declaring publicly, "I came home from Europe knowing that some things want to change."

What happened there has been private but profound. Mercier emerged with a brand new look in his eye. There didn't appear to be a spot where he couldn't win. Today he has greater than $16 million in live poker winnings and a minimum of $2 million more in online poker cashes. 

It has not been without change, however. Mercier is playing his own game these days, but not without man's ally at his side. His constant companion--prescribed for his anxiety issues--has seen nearly every hand Jason has played his summer. If the ribbing he gets about having his dog on the table bothers him, he is not letting on about it. 

On find out how to play

There's something else happening, though. When Jason won his fourth bracelet a couple of days ago, he dedicated it to Rick. Jason knew Father's Day was right across the corner, and he couldn't have guessed he'd have two more good probabilities of winning another bracelet before Sunday. Jason desired to dedicate it to his biggest fan.

"He has always just been the largest supporter of me. It's really incredible to have that sort of support," Jason told PokerNews' Sarah Herring after his bracelet ceremony. 

Jason called his dad's support "incredible," a word that literally means unbelievable. It's funny, because what's happening between Jason and his father is this kind of thing that might inspire belief in fathers everywhere in the world.

This week, a news story declared that Americans would spend nearly $8 billion less on Father's Day than they did on Mother's Day. 

"That hardly seems fair," my wife said. 

I shrugged. I'm sure there'll be Father's Day gifts looking forward to me Sunday, but as I sit here on Friday, I'm looking ahead to a 82° (F) weekend and watching my older son play baseball for 2 days. I CANNOT call to mind many alternative ways I'd rather spend it. Like several father, a fair day is one I see my boys happily pushing themselves to recuperate. The most efficient gift I MAY receive is having them turn around to look if I'm watching them do it. They would like me to be there, and infrequently they want me to be there. My gifts are a high five when things go well and a hug after they don't. 

And the one thing I MUST do to get these gifts every day? 

I need to manifest. That's all it takes.

Rick Mercier has shown up for his son time and time again. When Jason's 24/7 lifestyle beat him down, Rick and his wife Dottie were there to ensure Jason didn't fall. When Jason came back a few months later, Rick was there again to cheer him on. 

Rick Mercier fist-bumping Jason on the 2014 PCA

Now, Rick has shown up again. The plan was to record an interview for an upcoming documentary about Jason after which to look the Grand Canyon. That plan changed when Jason finished last night with the chip lead within the $10,000 HORSE Championship. 

Today, Rick has an opportunity to observe his son work again.

There is not any perfect option to be a father. Each man who navigates fatherhood will fail as again and again as he succeeds. There is not any predicting what is going to happen, and the one way a father could make sure he's doing his best is by being there when he's needed.

When is that no-one? knows. That's why a dad has to follow the 2 rules of fatherhood as often as he can.

Show up. 

Be there. 

They may sound like different things, but they aren't. Understanding how one can do them both is the trick of being a fair dad. 

That's what Rick Mercier is doing, and for that he's going to get the most productive gift around: a father's unwavering pride. 

No matter whether Jason slides another gold bracelet on his wrist this weekend, Rick Mercier could be proud, and that's a present that no first place prize money could ever buy. 

$1 million Spin & Gos running now! Click here to get a PokerStars account.Brad Willis is the PokerStars Head of Blogging. Follow him on Twitter: @BradWillis. WSOP photos by PokerPhotoArchive.com. PCA photo by Neil Stoddart.

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