Happy Father's Day

Father's Day was last Sunday and I hope you all got to honor or remember your dad, your grandpa, or your mom who was also your dad. I spent a nice Sunday with my dad. I wanted to honor my dad here because he is a great guy. So, without delay, here is why my dad is so awesome:

1. He was never afraid to show his affection. Songs have been sung and books have been written by children whose dads never said "I love you." This is not to say that these dads didn't love their kids, they just never said it. Not my dad. He always told me he loves me and gave me hugs and kisses and he still does. When I leave their house after a visit now, I still get a kiss on the cheek and hug.

2. He cooks and cleans! While growing up, my dad cooked a big breakfast every Sunday and often cooked dinner. He also did the dishes and other things around the house. There was never a boundary set in our household of a "woman's job" and a "man's job". Everyone did whatever needed to be done. And sorry Mom, but Dad is still the better cook.

3. He was here when I needed him. Knowing my dad like I do, he would probably say that he worked too hard and wishes he could have spent more time with me when I was a kid. Despite the fact that he always worked hard for his family, my childhood memories are not of him being gone a lot. My memories are of the time he played Barbies with me and didn't mind when he had to be the scary Brooke Shields doll and the time he tried to fix one of my Barbie doll's legs by using a lighter and the freezer...and it worked! I remember playing Checkers with him and watching football on Sundays.

I also remember spending hours listening to music with my dad. Barry Manilow, Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, Aerosmith...we listened to everything and I really loved this. If you know me, you know how much I love music and how important it is to me. My love of music is from my dad.

4. He was a patient teacher. This might be hard for some of you to believe, but I was not always such a skilled driver. Once upon a time, I failed my driving test---4 times. My dad very patiently kept working with me. We practiced every weekend and after school he would let me drive home while he sat in the passenger's seat. He even had me pump our gas because he told me that it was part of driving and something I needed to know how to do. I'm thankful that my dad was patient and wanted me to be independent and capable.

5. He's a proud dad and he doesn't care who knows. In high school, I visited my dad's job to shadow one of his co-workers and I soon learned that everyone in the building knew everything about me. They knew what I was interested in, they knew about my activities, they knew I was smart and I could go on and on here. I suspect if I visited him at work, now at 32, it would be no different. He has always been proud of who I am and no matter what I did, I always felt like he loved me for who I am. Well, Dad the feeling is mutual. I love you and I'm proud to be your daughter.