Some Words About My Dad On Father’s Day
When I think of my dad
Even though he left this world 10 years ago
Warm, loving feelings run through me and I smile
I’m glad he was my Dad
He was a man of simple pleasures
He loved a Jersey shore vacation, a sausage and pepper wedge on the boardwalk, fishing, crabbing, almond joys, cookouts, garden tomatoes, ice cream, and potato chips
He enjoyed a cold beer and a cheap cigar
He loved horses and enjoyed watching them speed around a track
He didn’t have a pretentious bone in his body
He almost never missed a day of work in 40 years
He loved playing baseball as a kid, he loved the Yankees his whole life
He was a pitcher in his youth
I became a pitcher when it was time to choose a position
He was a righty, I was a lefty
Maybe that’s why I couldn’t understand him for a while
We seemed to be on different pages
Maybe different books
I judged him, I was angry with him, I was not gracious towards him
I moved out, still angry
I had kids of my own
I got to walk a few steps in his fatherly shoes
I learned about what it took to be a dad (I’m still learning)
I understood more, I became more humble
And we came together again
If you make enough left turns, you end up where you started
I realized how much he loved me
And that he always did his best
I became less judgmental and more accepting
As he was towards me (even when I was judging him)
No one could make me laugh like he did
He had a self deprecating humor
And the ability to see life’s follies
His laugh would make me laugh
Sometimes he would get annoyed at life’s little inconveniences
Yet he was amazing in a crisis
Solid as a rock
He would do anything he could to help
And throughout our time together
He loved my mom
He loved his 3 kids
He loved his grandkids
He loved his mom and dad
He loved his sister, his brother-in-law, and his nephews
He loved his extended family
I love him more than ever
I’m glad I told him so before he died
And he told me he loved me
But I already knew that
Not because he said it all the time
Because he showed it to me every time