Father's Day Thoughts
Boy do I miss my dad. I might have been a twit when I was a teenager but everyday I see more and more how right he was about most things. Since leaving home in 1973 to enlist and serve in the US Army I've tried to be like him, mostly failing at that but always trying.
Dad was born November 21, 1926 at a time when things in the US were pretty good but just about to go all pear shaped. He grew up on a farm in the depression, the Great Depression, and I bet that experience colored his thinking for the rest of his life. E.g. it wasn't until I was nearly graduated from high school that he finally treated himself to anything that I can think of. He wore the same suit all the time that I knew him, and I don't think he had more than 4-5 shirts other than his uniforms. Often he'd wear his uniform (US Forest Service) pants when not working. Boots, seldom shoes, served every day. He wasn't cheap but he just didn't spend on himself.
He tended to buy the best quality that he could afford and would get things for us kids that I now think were kind of wasteful. We wanted for nothing even if we weren't allowed everything. I was never hungry, cold, lacking clothing, comfort, education, or health care. Dad was a better man than me. he was definitely a better father. Oh he tried, valiantly spending large amounts of time with football, basketball and baseball, to turn me into some sort of athlete. Failure. I think I utterly surprised him when I went into the Army and even more so when I'd completed 25 years at it. He was equally surprised that I took on my kids on my own when my wife left. He never stopped supporting me. Thanks Dad.
Labels: MenOfHonor
