Father’s Day Past & Present
I have some wonderful memories of my dad: making up songs or singing U.S. army songs with my dad as he and I ran errands around town –
“Over hill, over dale,
we have hit the dusty trail,
and those Caissons go rolling along.” (The Caissons Go Rolling Along)
Or when we traveled throughout Italy the summer we moved to Rome, my dad made history come alive. He was the proverbial fountain of information and history. You could see the past unfolding as new amidst the ruins of the old. Through his storytelling I vividly saw the twin sons – Romulus and Remus being raised by the she-wolf in 753 BC and Michelangelo laying on his back for days on end to paint the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican.
And while, my husband, Thad, is not my father; I celebrate his fatherhood none the less. I have been blessed to watch this man grow into this role with a mix of both strength and tenderness to form a relationship with our daughter that is both strong and tender. He will always be her father but as an adult daughter he is now her friend as well. They share a love of wine, health and medicine. She has his intelligence and his ability to see the good in everyone. Without him, she would not be the woman she is today. Nor would she have chosen the wonderful man and father of her children had it not been for the example of a father she grew up with. I chose well, don’t you think? The glory goes to God.
No father is perfect and we are not always blessed with the father we wanted or needed. But even as flawed individuals, they give us opportunities to learn and grow.
This Father’s Day may find you without a father in your life. But I hope you will reach out to someone who is or perhaps someone you love, respect, and admire to create a relationship strong and tender and build memories that last a lifetime and beyond.
Happy Father’s Day.