Folks, my Dad is awesome. He always played catch with me. He taught me 5-card poker as a little kid. He took me fishing with him whenever I asked. He even trusted me with an X-Acto whittling knife when I was 7. When I did cut myself, he made me wait until I was at least 9 until I got the knife back. LOL!!! He used to let me jump off his shoulders into the lake (over and over again at that). He helped me learn to ride a bike. He always listened to me when I shared stories about school. I remember taking turns reading "Heidi" aloud with him. (what a guy!) He used to let me cuddle up on his lap and I'd fall asleep on his shoulder in the rocking chair...usually on Sunday nights when he watched "60 Minutes." The sound of the stopwatch still makes me yawn. Being a Mom now, I understand why he cried for me when I broke my toe (awww). When I got older, he'd take me shopping for clothes; knowing I needed encouragement to come out of my shell a bit. I'll never forget when he took me shopping for my Prom dress. It was so sweet. And later on in life, he came with my Mom to help me find my wedding dress. He just didn't want to miss a moment, even if it was one that wasn't traditionally men would want to be part of. He's a tough guy, a strong guy, a silly guy, a very social guy who is the first to talk to all the strangers in the room and make lame jokes. That's what I love most about my Dad. He's never been shy to be himself. He's unapologetic about his idiosyncrasies; nor should he be. I'm very proud of him for that, and for many other things. He's lead a very colorful life filled with interesting stories; many I still haven't heard. I never tire of them. His boyhood days living in a little tenement apartment, his time doing his part fighting for our country in Vietnam, his crazy times in Boston after the war, when he met my Mom and so forth. (As a funny story example...Dad one day informed me that if I was ever taken prisoner I should take my sock off, fill it with sand, and pee on it to make a billy club. Then, I was to beat my captor in the head with it...and when he was down, kill him by jamming a pencil through his ear into his brain. I guess this was a tip he learned in the Army if he were taken as a POW and figured I should know about it just in case. I always wondered who carries a pencil around with them so diligently? But that's the kind of random information he liked to share with us and I now mull over.)
My father has always made me feel so special and important; he always listened to my every problem (no matter how lame or large) and offered his most caring and sincere advice. Even to this day he lends an unconditional ear and helps keep me on track. Dad, thank you for being YOU. Not only did you teach me about what makes a great father, you taught me what makes a great man. Because of you, I found that in Chris. Your never ending love and support will always live in my heart and now my own chidren's hearts too. I am forever grateful for you, but moreso, forever will I love you.
Happiest Father's Day to you.
Love,
Meg (or "The Mega-Muffin" as you've always called me)
1 comment :
Aww, what a sweet post! LOVE it! Thank you for taking the time to share this about your Dad made me think about those special things that my Dad does for me . . . some very similar to yours and how important these things are. This is one of the ways we know about what our own children need through our own parents and by watching and learning from others. Thank you "Mega Muffin"!
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