Opinion : Happy Father\'s Day, Daddy

Do you ever think back to the days when your biggest concern was that you needed a baseball bat all your own? So your dad took you to the store to get you not only a bat but your very first baseball glove.

Or the time you found baby bunnies alone in the yard and their mom laying on the road? You ran to your dad who gently collected them into a box with some old rags and told you they might not make it, but sat there with you nursing them with an eye dropper, and in the end they didn't survive, but your dad was your hero.

Or listened with rapt admiration as he told of taking his math book home and finishing it all in a few days so he could move on to the next grade...so trying to make your daddy proud you did the same thing and got in trouble?

Or remember being frustrated trying to figure out your math and patiently he sat down and explained it again for what seems like the 100th time.

Then there were the times you got to tag along to work with him, or the times he gently removed a sliver from your foot.

Sometimes I long for those days.

As time passes, things get complicated.

You grow up, go off to college or join the workforce, add a few bills, settle down and start a family.

Life is still pretty good at this point, or it should be.

Then things start to change.

The family settles into a routine, the kids grow up.

The extended family gets comfortable enough to voice their opinion about how you're raising the kids.

Jobs come and go.

Then ever so slightly you notice your grandparents are slowing down, you lose one or two, and you start to worry about your parents.

Then you begin to lose them.

I always say, if you are lucky enough to lose them to a heart attack or in a sudden way and don't have to watch them suffer, you are blessed.

We've experienced loss both suddenly, as well as after a few weeks in the hospital.

We are still experiencing loss through Alzheimers, a disease I learned how to deal with from, ironically my dad who now suffers from it.

The simple things like a smile, hearing your name or recognizing the kids and asking them a question become a cherished moment.

The last time we had a lucid moment with daddy, was on Father's Day two years ago. It was a mixed blessing, it was also his birthday.

As we usually did, my sister and I went up alone, figuring he would not respond to us. We were surprised when he began asking us about the kids. We quickly called the husbands to bring all the kids to visit.

That day was the last time we actually had a conversation with him.

The last time our kids saw their grandpa.

Sure we've visited often since then, but he was unable to respond.

There have been many times in the last couple decades I wished I could have gone to my dad to ask his advice.

He was one of those guys that could fix anything that was broken, patch anything that needed it, and knew how to be gentle and strong at the same time.

So this Father's Day, if you are fortunate enough to have your dad around, and he's able to simply greet you, savor the moment.

If your dad gives you a hug, hold on a bit longer.

If he tells you how to raise the kids, thank him.

If he calls when you are in the middle of something else you feel is more important, put the other thing on hold and talk to dad, it may be your last conversation.

Alzheimers seems to be attracted to the dads and grandpa's in our family. We've both had grandfathers with the disease, I remember a great grandfather that had it as well and now our kids are seeing it in their grandpa.

So, take those moments with your dad or grandpa this Father's day...get out that camera, and get those pictures of dad, better yet, get a video. We concentrated on the great grandparents and forgot to catch our own parents too late.

Dad's can't be replaced, so cherish those little moments that you think are insignificant.

Trust me the simple things you share with dad now, are the things you will remember and hold close to your heart.

To all of our dads, grandpa's, great and great grandpa's out there, thanks for your firm, yet gentle hand in molding us into the people we are today.

To the children and grandchildren, sit and listen, snap those pictures, ask them every question you can think of...you'll be glad you did!