Sunday, June 21, 2009

The Fathers In Our Lives, Our Fathers Who Art In Heaven And The Father Of Our Country

Today is the day we "officially" honor our fathers. I don't need a special day to honor or remember my father because although he's gone, I think about him all the time. But there are other fathers in my life who are still here on earth who should continue to be remembered and honored...

First and foremost, I'd like to pay homage to my step-father Frank. He was the safe haven in which we docked when my parents got divorced. He took care of my mother, my brother and I when we had nowhere else to go. He gave us a home, fed us, gave us our very first jobs in his restaurant, took us to Broadway plays and water parks, taught us how to drive and water-ski, took us on our first plane ride and and continued to help whenever help was needed. Even in our adult lives, he was there for us. (Well, maybe more for me than my brother; Michael plans a whole lot better than I do, so when it comes to a catastrophe or dire financial straits, he's always better prepared.) In any case, Frank has given a LOT to us. Granted, he had some rules we thought were crazy (what kid doesn't hate a rule or two?) and a Depression Era mentality we had to adjust to (he was saving water and "re-purposing" items before conservation was cool), but overall he gave us a pretty good life and that's what really should be highlighted - the BIG picture.

The other father I'd like to mention is my brother Michael. I don't think I can adequately describe my feelings about him in order to illustrate just why I think he's the shit. He's just cool. He's funny. He's responsible. He's intelligent. He's ingenious. He does more than any one person I know. His energy is limitless, his ambition infinite. He IS that old Army commercial; the one that says something about doing more before 9am than most people do all day. He never stops. If it's not something he's doing for work, it's something he's doing on his house. If it's not something he's doing for his wife, it's something he's doing for his kids. If he's not on the job, he's building additions on his home. And when he's not doing that, he's coaching Little League. I don't know where he finds the time.

He's currently going by the moniker "Solo Mike" because between work, house, family and whatever the hell else he's doing with his day, he can't find time to squeeze in any "guy time" so he's temporarily without friends. Hence, Solo Mike. He changes his nicknames frequently and they all have a definitive meaning indicative of the situation. For a while he was "MIGSIG" which meant "man in gray, still in gray" because his company t-shirts are a light heather gray color and he was always in one of them. Another time he was "Mr. No" because he'd say NO to everything, even before he knew what was being asked. He's not given these nicknames by others, he comes up with them himself, and I always think his latest one is my new favorite. But more than loving the nicknames he gives himself, I love him. More than I'll ever be able to say and more than he'll ever know. I've been trying to steal him away for a few days, kind of like a "planned" kidnapping, but I just can't seem to get him to pencil me in on his calendar. One of these days when he turns his back though...pfumph! I'll just throw a sack over his head and off we'll go!

I'd also like to mention my cousin Greg who became a new father in March of this year. He was lucky enough to have twins, one boy and one girl. This will be his first Father's Day and I can't be more excited for him. He's a giddy Dad. He's crazy about them. Loopy even, when he's in their company. He glows. He has a permanent smile on his face (well, when I see him anyway - I'm not there for those 2am feedings). He's loving every minute of these little cherubs and so am I, since I'm lucky enough to get cell phone pictures of them every couple of days!

In addition to remembering my own father and those mentioned here, I will be thinking about my grandfathers and my uncles too. And to those of you out there who have children of your own, I hope you have a fantastic day as well. Happy Father's Day!!

The photo is of Christ Church in Alexandria, Virginia and is the church where the "Father of our country" (George Washington) once worshipped.


~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
1 YEAR AGO:
Who The Hell Left The Pool Float In The Sea Of Tranquility??
2 YEARS AGO:
Lure Me In
3 YEARS AGO:
Sometimes The Reasons NOT To Have Children Are So Very Clear
4 YEARS AGO:
U-Ta-Dah!!

3 comments:

all things bradbury said...

what a wonderful tribute to the men in your life....you wrote so beautifully, it made me cry a little......a very fine post for fathers day......

Gil said...

Beautiful tribute to the Fathers in your family!

sheila said...

Beautiful post!