Opinion : Father's Day Thoughts

I always thought that it was odd when I'd hear people that were old enough to be my grandparents say, "I miss my dad." Realizing that most of the time they had been gone longer than I had been alive. But now I get it. Mine has only been gone for 7 years, but there are times that I still wish that I could sit down with him and talk. It's usually in those times when I just need someone to tell me the empty line, "It's going to be alright." There's no guarantee behind those words, but hearing someone say them, who loves you, makes all the difference in the world.

Of course, there have been several times that I had wished that my dad was alive to "see that!" When it comes to my kids and grandkids, he was so tickled to see the first article that my oldest had written. He saved the paper and we found it neatly folded with his "important papers." Of course, he had to tell everyone about HIS granddaughter. He would be so thrilled if he knew that she was now a council member, I can't imagine how many buttons would pop off of his shirt if he knew. Then if he knew that the little boys that went raspberry hunting with were now into investing and had worked in the local jail, he would have thrown some of his hard-earned cash at the one and said, "take care of it for me." The younger son, I'd give anything to hear the two compare stories, he is just like his grandpa when it comes to telling stories. Things like that make me say, "Wow, genetics are pretty cool!" It always gives me a warm feeling to hear him talk.

He would have shaken his head and chuckled over his only two great-grandsons, being born to one of his granddaughters, but would've gotten a kick out of the 9 granddaughters too.

One of his biggest thrill would have been his granddaughter who had no idea that he was a Ford man was also a Ford girl. If he had lived longer, he would have been here tinkering on her truck, and thrilled with her Mustang. They would have been decked out in the latest gadget. And at the end of the day, he would have pulled in for some pizza with my youngest to see how she was doing.

He would have loved all of the great-grandchildren and would have told you that they were smarter than anyone else's whether that was true or not, it didn't matter.

But alas all of that is wishful thinking.

There is a lot of things that I'm glad he's not been around to see. I suppose he might have done something to get him in trouble over some of the antics that have happened.

He was always my hero. The oldest in his family, he took care of his family, sending home part of his paycheck after he left home to help with all of the siblings still at home. Even after he was married, he irritated my mom by continuing to do that.

When the siblings were all grown, he still helped his mom and dad out. After he was gone he had invested his money so that his wife was taken care of. It was a waste of time because he ended up in a care center which took care of that savings in no time flat. He didn't know that he was now officially broke, or he would have died sooner at the very idea.

There is a song that I ran across in the quest to entertain my 2 year old sidekick granddaughter. It pretty much sums up a good father/daughter relationship click here and as you'll see several in the audience, mostly women crying. That's me.

There is a lot to be said for having a dad in your life that has your back. There's even more, to be said about dads that aren't there. I'm not one to quote Oprah, but she said something once that stuck with me. She said, "Believe them when they tell you who they are." If you weren't blest with a dad that has your back, and one that won't put you before anything else, listen to him. Find another guy that you can trust for guidance.

You've heard the saying, "Anyone can be a father, but not everyone is a daddy." I was lucky enough to have a daddy and not just a guy that mailed it in.

So dads out there, be a dad, it's the best investment that you'll ever make. The rewards are impossible to measure. And hey, let's be honest, the world needs you to step up and be the good guys. It's more than doing the "dad things," it's about showing your kids how to be a good person. Do that.

To all of you awesome men out there, whether you're a dad or not, keep "doing that" you don't get enough recognition for it. Thank you for keeping it together, taking care of your families, and being the examples that the rest of us need to see. There are far more of you than the bad ones.

So back to my dad. This Father's Day will be another one that I'm sure I will miss you. It will be a day before what should have been your 80th birthday, I can't imagine you that old. Thank you for showing me what a good guy looks like. You are what I compare the definition of hardworking to. You are what it looks like to see someone faithful. You are the one I think of when it comes to, provider. Thank you for being my go-to for all of these.

Thanks for being what this girl needed to get her through this life. Love you, miss you and thank you for everything.