Father’s Day is tough for me as my father passed away in August of 2008. Each year, I wince at the million emails and ads I receive for things dad would love. I am now able to smile about the ones he would love and the ones he would not love at all. My dad would not have liked a Blue Print Cleanse. You can trust me on that one. The Husband and I chuckled about the one from one of the phone companies offering to get dad a new phone. If I could get one that would reach him, I would pay whatever they asked indefinitely.
As time passes, I am pretty tickled thinking of how much he would love the current political morass and other changes. I sometimes imagine the conversations that we would have about Donald Trump. It was just days after his funeral that I first heard of Sarah Palin. He would have gotten such a kick out of Palin, and Tina Fey’s Palin, and many characters real and imagined since then. I would love to hear his opinions on Trump running for President. Oy. There are still times each day that something happens or I read something that I know he’d be interested in. I was just thinking of how I could explain to him that I get into random strangers’ cars several times a week with Uber and Lyft. He would really think I had lost it or at very least that he didn’t teach me right.
I was looking back at some old Father’s Day posts and I found one from 2013 that I am going to share again. I didn’t have many followers back then and this post still feels just right to me to honor my dad. I also recommend this great crowdsourced post on Wisdom from Dad with Help from My Friends.
Here is my 2013 post:
It is easy to reinvent history, especially when it comes to someone you love dearly. I don’t do that with my dad or at least I try not to. He was a very flawed man in some ways, yet perfect in others. I miss him every day. Today, I honor him with five of the most important things that I learned from him.
In honor of Father’s Day, here is a list of 5 things I’m grateful to have learned from my dad:
1. It’s never too late to do better. My dad was very busy working when we were kids. He rarely came home for dinner and never came to our school events. By the time Joel, my half-brother, was born in 1992, my father’s life had changed a lot and he never missed any of Joel’s events. He also came to some of mine – like every NYC marathon I ran while he was alive! People ask me if that bothered me. It did not. I was truly delighted that he learned from his mistakes and did better with Joel (and us!)
2. Generosity is the key to a happy life. My dad was always giving and sharing- especially with delicious food. The corollary to this is that you should always get enough to share (even if it is too much).
3. Any stranger is a potential friend. My dad had a warm, personable demeanor. He put people at ease and made friends everywhere he went. I like to think I inherited those characteristics.
4. It’s ok if you are the only one who laughs at your jokes. Dad loved the corny joke, the cornier the better. His laughter made it easier to laugh along.
5. Loyalty matters. My dad loved his friends, family and especially his Giants. Unconditionally – whether they were “winners” or not!
Happy Father’s Day to the dads out there. If you are lucky enough to have your father in your life, tell him the things you are grateful for. I bet he’ll be delighted.