Father's Day

With Father's Day coming up tomorrow, what is one special memory about your dad that comes to mind? Whether he is living or has passed away, is there something distinctive that you can recall about your dad? Every time I think of mine, who went to live in heaven in 1999, I remember his fabulous sense of humor. He could make a joke out of anything or any situation. He enjoyed making people laugh, and I will always appreciate that aspect of his personality. Most of all, he never ceased to demonstrate that he loved his children. He was always ready to lend a compassionate listening ear. I hope that our children feel that way about us!

My father passed away years ago but as a child I remember following him all around the house helping him in whatever task he had taken on. We never hired a carpenter, a plumber, or any type of handyman because my father did it ALL. His yards always looked manicured, beautifully cared for and our qardens were filled with home grown vegatables. "HE DID IT ALL" himself, and I thought he was the best dad because on the planet.

I spent the day with my Dad last Sunday. It was the week between his 81st birthday and Father's Day, so it seemed like a great day to drive up to see him and spend the day...

Our daughter and her husband also joined us, and Steve and I took everyone out to dinner before we left. Well, not QUITE last thing before we left. After we got back to his house, we had coffee and the birthday pie I had brought him. We all left about 7:30 in the evening.

I am so lucky that he is alive and thriving. He had walked to church that day, just as he does any Sunday that it is not raining. It's a 3 mile walk, each way.

And, if I haven't mentioned it before, he has been busy building a 22 foot long sailboat in his garage. He plans to load it onto a trailer and launch it later this month. I wish I had thought to take a photo of it, it is just beautiful. He's even done some carving on the prow.

As for favorite memories, I think mine is the walks he and I used to take when I was a pre-schooler. He'd carved a walking stick for each of us, and I recall exploring the shore in New Jersey (near Trenton, as I recall) and then later walking some dirt roads in Northern Wisconsin and in Michigan.

We had wonderful conversations on those walks about topics like the clouds, the power of water, and why he felt that it was unladylike for me to imitate the sounds made by a horse we used to walk past... LOL

My dad had a great sense of humor, too, but was sometimes really dense. He was an engineer, but everyday things sometimes threw him for a loop. One example, he had a t-bird back in the late 60s/early 70s, and he and my brother were trying to get it running. They finally decided the battery was dead. So they took the battery out and were going to take it up to the corner service station to get it charged. Except Dad put it in the trunk of the t-bird, got in the t-bird to drive up to the gas station and couldn't figure out why it wouldn't start!

My dad was a hand-working, honest, gentle man. He worked from
dawn to dusk and sometimes after dark, even. He had a farmers' tan. He called me bunny. And I followed him around and hung out in the barn, mostly. He had lots of grit and a huge appetite. And like the rest of you, in my mind daddy is the greatest man that ever lived!!!! And I'm honored to have had him as my dad.
And I'm honored to have been known as his daughter!!!

I loved reading everyone's memories about their dads. Thank you so much for sharing, and Anne is so fortunate to have her dad living and enjoying such a vibrant life!