My Daddy

Happy Fathers Day, Pop!

 

This is my father... the greatest guy you'll ever meet. In fact, plenty of people have told me that he is one of the nicest people they have ever met, and even my in-laws think he could almost be a saint. So it's not just me saying so.

I always thought of him as Daddy when I was a little girl, but now that he has grandsons, he goes by "Pop" more often. He was a great daddy when I was growing up. He was very quiet and laid back, and he really didn't lecture as much as explain things to you. He gave very sensible guidance, even when I didn't want to hear it, and he was probably always right.

He is very philosophical, even though he might not think of himself in this way. He always accepts reality, but he is usually positive. He forgives easily and then forgets, and he always tries to look on the bright side. And one of my own personal favorites -- "If it's your time, it's your time." I really don't ever remember him complaining about anything, ever. Not because everything was always perfect -- but only because he was always on such an even keel.

I remember him trying to teach me how to catch. I was a clutz. I remember him teaching me how to drive. I can imagine how scary THAT was! He worked as much as he could, but usually started in the early morning hours so that he would be home in the evenings with us. He always made sure we had a vacation to look forward to, and he loves to travel. He learned how to golf, and he taught the grandkids. He taught me how to read when I was little, and even though I don't remember him reading much when I was a kid, now that he's retired, he really enjoys it. Like his own father before him, now that he's retired he is all about the grandchildren, which in his case means three boys. He is a great role model for them. And also like his father, he enjoys "puttering around the garden." His yard is always a work of art in progress.

When my kids were little, he thought nothing of driving the hour and a half to my house, picking up the kids, then driving the hour and a half back to his house -- keeping the kids all weekend -- and then driving them home again on Sunday, three more hours in the car. They loved to go to his house. He paid all kinds of attention to them, playing catch and basketball, riding bicycles, and just hanging out. He always has a good idea of something interesting to do.

There are so many good things to say that it's hard to say them all. But anyway, he's a great daddy, and I love him very much. Happy Fathers Day!