Happy Father's Day...

Today I want to take a moment to wish everyone a Happy Father’s Day, although I believe the only father reading my blog is my own.

Growing up, I considered myself somewhat of a Daddy’s girl. Dad was busy being a provider for most of my childhood, working very hard to make a life for me and my mom. Mom had to be the disciplinarian, while Dad got to swoop in at the end of a long day and be the good guy.

However, as I have gotten older, my relationship with my dad has gotten much richer and deeper. I have come to realize that my dad is a very complex man – he is always surprising me with new facets to his personality, and as I have gotten older and more mature, I have become better at recognizing and appreciating all of his different sides.

For instance, Dad is a man who takes a curmudgeonly stance on approximately 98% of popular culture, but finds childlike joy in any number of unexpected things, like comic book movies. Dad has his work persona, which he has cultivated to be commanding and somewhat intimidating. Yet he is the same man who writes me a poem every year for my birthday. Here is a sample from this year’s offering:

It's your birthday, number 24

I remember that night, pacing the floor

Waiting for Mom to recover her feeling

And all the while, my mind was reeling.

I wondered that night, how it would turn out.

Facing the burden, I was full of doubt.

I must confess, things have gone well;

The story is fabulously good to tell!

Although he often says that he liked me better before I learned to talk back, I suspect he secretly enjoys sparring with me, now that we’re on a more even intellectual footing. I may give him a lot of crap, but it always comes from a place of love. Even if I sometimes hide it beneath a veneer of argumentativeness, I love my father very much, and I consider myself very fortunate to have him in my life. Happy Father’s Day, Dad!