How could I forget him??

How could I forget him?

This Sunday is Father’s Day, a day I anticipate every year. My dad means more to me now than ever. Each day that goes by, I think about him and remember the good times that we had together as I was growing up.

I was the middle child, and the only daughter, in a family of five. My dad was very special, and I like to think I was special to him as well. I spent a lot of time by his side, watching him work on the car, watching him solder ham radio parts, watching him work in his shop building furniture, and occasionally commenting or asking him questions. He never minded my being there. He always....ALWAYS... answered my questions, and I’m sure there were some silly ones!

My dad worked in an office, which he probably didn’t like. He loved being outdoors and instilled that love in all of us kids. But he did what he had to do, what he was educated to do, in order to provide for his family. My mother stayed home most of my childhood. It was a typical 1960’s household. But when the weekend rolled around, my dad liked to spend the days with his family, and many times began Saturday morning with a scrumptious pancake breakfast, complete with jokes and laughs, while my mom slept in. What a treat for all of us! Then, we might go to the lumber yard, the hardware store, the park, the mountains, mow the lawn, or just go outside and play with the dog.

My dad had our backs. He tells me now of times when he had to stand up for one or all of us kids to a neighbor or someone else. We were HIS kids, and he made sure we knew how to behave when we were away from him.

Dad loved to read, and that’s another love that all of us kids have, even now. We made countless trips to the library, but he never told us what to read, or how many books we should have. He left that up to us! But we knew, by example, that reading was a pleasurable recreation. I’m thankful to my dad for that.

I feel like my dad represented what a family should be, and that is a place that you feel safe, secure, comfortable, loved, happy and heard.

Being a dad is not always a spectacular job. And it’s not always a task that is noticed or even thanked. It sometimes isn’t until we’re grown that we realize that a dad has done a good thing and has made a difference. He’s done a good job when we continue learning things from him after we grow up.

When a dad is absent from a child’s life, the space can be taken by an other male role model, whether it be a brother, an uncle, a stepdad, or a grandfather. But the result is the same - that person can have a life-long impact on our thoughts, actions and dreams.

Today, I still have great conversations with my dad. He still teaches me things, still makes me think, and still makes me laugh.

How could I forget him this Father’s Day??