Short, tall, skinny, obese. Dark, blonde, red, brown. Short hair, long hair, thick, thin, balding, or completely bald. Harsh, gentle, miserable, happy, quiet, loud boisterous, shy, funny, serious. Loving, unloving, generous, miserly. Hardworking or lazy. These are all part of my descriptions of fathers, to which more could be added I'm sure.
I wonder which category you fall into. I'm not picking on anyone of course, especially as we are celebrating that really important day for fathers.
It is a special day for all of us, isn't it? We not only think of the fathers that we are fortunate to have with us today, but our minds goes to our loved ones who have passed away but are still very much a part of us. We think of good times mostly but maybe there are other things that come into our minds that we would rather forget. We are all human and sometimes we make mistakes, so we understand that our fathers also made some mistakes. Hopefully we can forgive them and just concentrate on the good memories.
I know we shouldn't have favourites, but I have to admit that my dad was my favourite. "What made him so special?" Lots of things, I guess, but the main thing is that he was there for me when I needed him. He made me feel loved and cared for. My mother had 10 children. Some older and some younger and her time was spent with all the work that was expected of her. Not only that but the war commenced which I was one year old and as you can imagine, things were tough. Especially for our parents who must have been worried sick. Most of the time I was growing up I felt unloved by my mother but I realize now that she did all she could in view of everything. However my dad made up for that, he always seemed to give me more attention.
Sunday afternoons were special times for me. Dad used to play his gramophone records mostly classic music. He would ask me questions such as, "What instrument is being played"? "What is the name of the piece of music"? "Who is the composer"? etc. My dad had a great love of music and of nature and I feel sure that's why I love both today. I definitely treasure those memories.
Then there were the time when I was home from school, sick in bed. I would patiently wait for him to come home for lunch because the first thing he would do was climb up the stairs to see me.
Dad was my war here too. He served in France in the First World War. The he was an air raid warden in the Second World War. Yes I sure was proud of him and still am of course. He passed away two weeks before we immigrated to Canada. That was 38 years ago.
Fathers have such an important role to play in family life and many responsibilities. I congratulate you all today, keep up the good work and don't get discouraged when times are difficult. You'll get through it all. Have a great weekend and God Bless you.
