Happy Father’s Day
June 20th is almost here and I have nothing much to say. I ‘d like to tell a great story that highlights the type of man my father was. I’d like to recall the way he’d counseled me on girls when I first starting looking. Thinking back I’d like to describe how proud I felt when I introduced him to my teachers on parent teacher night. I couldn’t imagine how I would have learned to swim or hit a baseball or shoot pool without my dad’s firm hand. I would grin and break into a smile thinking about how playful he was with my mother and how much they loved one another. I’d most likely become teary eyed as I thought about the day he died and the huge crowd that mourned him.
June 20th is almost here and I have nothing much to say. I didn’t have a father in the way my memories wish. My dad was a no show. When I needed a dad I looked to other men in my life and mostly they fell short. My mother’s ex-husband was as close as I’ve gotten so far. He was around occasionally and always lamenting his “greatest mistake” letting my mother go. She never seemed to be buying what he was selling and after a few thousand broken promises I stopped buying it too. Television taught me that the relationship between a boy and his dad is a special bond. I am finding that to be true as I struggle to be a father to my sons. I have learned to just love my daughters as we raise them to love themselves. I pray that my sons forgive me where I fall short and that my love for them is evident. I pray that when they think of me in the father’s days to come that they have more to say about their father then I do for mine.
I am thankful that once again my family will gather around me for a few hours this June 20th, singing happy songs and I will get to be the father that I wish I’d had.
