For those of us who have lost their father, Father’s Day has a
very special meaning. It is a day for reflection and remembrance.
Don’t get me wrong, Father’s Day is not a day of sadness, it is
a day of joy, relaxation and recollection.
The joy comes from a call or visit from your children, if you have
any, and especially enjoyable when you hear from your
Grandchildren.
The relaxation comes from the fact that few wives expect you
to do any honey-dos on that day and will usually let you indulge
in personal pleasure such as a nap, having a few cold beers or
breaking out the video game for a couple of hours.
The recollection for me is the part of Father’s Day that I believe
makes me the happiest. The memories of my father will always be
with me. It’s sad to hear of someone who does not have a fond
memory of their lives with their father. Fortunately for me, my dad
was the most important aspect of who I grew up to be. I only wish
I could be half the man my father was. He was funny, intelligent,
caring and a self made man. My father was a vice-president of a
savings and loan bank; he also owned an insurance agency, a
CPA firm and retired from the National Guard.
You would have thought with all this on his plate he would have
little time for his four kids. Wrong, I remember my father getting
home from work around 5:30; I would be waiting for him with a
baseball and gloves. No matter how tired he was, he would throw
the ball with me until super was ready. After super, Dad would
spend time with my other brothers and sister then go back to
his office and work until 11 pm. He would get back from work
after we were in bed and that was the quiet time he had for mom
and himself.
Even as busy as my father was, he rarely ever missed a ball game,
a school function or an event. If he did fail to attend one it usually
was because he was serving his country in the National Guard.
This took him away from us one weekend a month and two weeks
in the summer. He took us fishing, hunting and camping. He taught
me how to throw a curve ball, he paid for my guitar lessons and
he made sure we were all well taken care of. However, the greatest
thing my dad did for me was be there when I needed him. When I
had my first fender bender as a teenage driver, dad didn’t yell but
spoke to me about being a responsible driver. When I went out
on my own and was having a hard time financially, he slipped me
a few bucks to help me out. He would loan me his car when mine
wouldn’t start, he would go with me when I purchased a vehicle,
and when I was hurt in a construction accident, he was there at
my bed side during my hospital stay.
I can go on and on about all the great things my father did for me
from doing my income taxes to guiding me through my first home
loan and purchase but in summery “He was my best friend”.
My father passed away 15 years ago at the early age of 61.
I am saddened by the fact that he never had the opportunity see
any of his grandkids grow up, or enjoy some leisurely retirement
years that he deserved.
This Sunday (Father’s Day) I’m looking forward to the barbeques,
visits from family, being lazy and most of all the fond memory of my
departed father. What a great day!
