Health & Fitness
Father's Day
Three decades have come and gone and I still miss my greatest protector, my first mentor, and my best friend...but I'm still listening.
Sorry if I sound ungrateful but it seems to me best friends should be around for you longer than only 29 years.
And I’ve never been that receptive to the observation “all good things must one day end.” Why can’t great things last forever?
My Dad was always there for me and I can’t believe over thirty years have gone by since the most generous heart I’ve ever known was silenced by a coronary thrombus with no heart at all.
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I’m sure I haven’t been the same since. Probably should have had some serious counseling but then again anyone who’s seen me grip a golf club or tennis racket could have made the diagnosis.
Father’s Day inevitably means yet another viewing of Field of Dreams…and an everyday trip down Memory Lane. So why should Kevin Costner be the only guy who gets to play catch with his Dad just one more time? But there I go again; in the film, Costner’s character needed to make up for lost time. And my Dad always had time for me.
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Even after all these years, Dad seems so real in my dreams. And who wouldn’t love reliving your first trip to the ballpark, your first little league at bat, or the look on his face when the letter said I was going to dental school, not Vietnam.
I’ll never stop missing the firm advice, the words of encouragement, and the easy smile that told me he had my back; everything was going to be alright.
Dad never made a big deal out of doing what he saw was the right thing for his son. When I came home with a 2.13 GPA after my first quarter at Cal State LA, Dad got me a job in a warehouse; he wisely perceived I didn’t have much of a grip on the meaning of real work. When I finally put my head down, studied hard, and hit some lofty goals, my parents chose my education over a dream home.
Dad could have taught a class in generosity, loyalty, and honesty. I never saw Dad stressed out or having attitude; he rarely used today’s favorite pronouns, “I” and “me.”
Dad was way smarter than me and undoubtedly realized I wasn’t a quick study. But he never let on…and I’m still listening.
Thanks Dad.